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Fayetteville C-3: Central Business Commercial District Guide

Jurisdiction: FayettevilleCode Version: December 2025

The C-3: Central Business Commercial district in Fayetteville is designed for high-intensity urban development, featuring a mix of retail, office, and multi-family residential uses. This district emphasizes a traditional urban form by requiring a build-to zone and allowing for substantial building heights of up to seven stories. Within the Fayetteville C-3 district, development is encouraged to meet urban form standards to qualify for administrative approval [Section 161.25].

Purpose and General Character

The primary purpose of the C-3: Central Business Commercial district is to accommodate the diverse range of commercial and related uses typically found in Fayetteville’s central business areas or regional shopping centers. This includes a wide array of retail shops and personal services. The general character of the Fayetteville C-3 district is defined by high-intensity development and a mixture of residential and commercial activities in a traditional urban form. The City of Fayetteville intends for this district to utilize "urban form" design to foster pedestrian-friendly environments, specifically allowing for administrative approval when these design standards are met [Section 161.25(A)].

Permitted Land Uses

The Fayetteville C-3: Central Business Commercial district allows for a broad spectrum of uses, ranging from essential public services to high-density residential housing.

Uses Permitted by Right

The following use units are permitted by right in the Fayetteville C-3 district:

  • City-wide uses by right (Use Unit 1)
  • Cultural and recreational facilities (Use Unit 4)
  • Government facilities (Use Unit 5)
  • Eating places (Use Unit 13)
  • Hotel, motel, and amusement facilities (Use Unit 14)
  • Shopping goods (Use Unit 16)
  • Gasoline service stations & drive-in restaurants (Use Unit 18)
  • Commercial recreation, small sites (Use Unit 19)
  • Offices, studios, and related services (Use Unit 25)
  • Multi-family dwellings (Use Unit 26)
  • Liquor stores (Use Unit 34)
  • Sidewalk Cafes (Use Unit 40)
  • Cluster Housing Development (Use Unit 44)
  • Small scale production (Use Unit 45)
  • Short-term rentals (Use Unit 46)

Conditional Uses

The following uses may be permitted in the Fayetteville C-3 district subject to Planning Commission approval of a conditional use permit:

  • City-wide uses by conditional use permit (Use Unit 2)
  • Public protection and utility facilities (Use Unit 3)
  • Transportation trades and services (Use Unit 17)
  • Center for collecting recyclable materials (Use Unit 28)
  • Dance Halls (Use Unit 29)
  • Outdoor music establishments (Use Unit 35)
  • Wireless communications facilities (Use Unit 36)
  • Clean technologies (Use Unit 42)
  • Private dormitories (Use Unit 48)

Development Standards

The Fayetteville C-3 district has distinct standards depending on whether the development is situated in a "Central Business District" context or a "Shopping Center" context. Furthermore, developments using "Urban Form" must adhere to specific build-to zones.

Bulk, Area, and Intensity Standards

Standard Requirement
Density None
Bulk and Area Regulations None
Urban Form Minimum Buildable Street Frontage 80% of the lot width

[Section 161.25(C), (D), (G)]

Setback Requirements

The Fayetteville C-3 district applies different setbacks based on the type of development and its proximity to residential areas.

Setback Type Central Business District Shopping Center
Front 5 feet 25 feet
Front (parking between ROW and building) 50 feet 50 feet
Side None None
Side (contiguous to residential district) 10 feet 25 feet
Rear (without easement or alley) 15 feet 25 feet
Rear (from center line of public alley) 10 feet 10 feet

[Section 161.25(E)]

Urban Form Setback Regulations

If the developer chooses to utilize urban form in the Fayetteville C-3 district, the following setbacks apply:

Location Requirement
Front Build-to zone between 10 and 25 feet from front property line
Side None
Rear 5 feet
Rear (from center line of an alley) 12 feet

[Section 161.25(E)]

Building Height

The Fayetteville C-3: Central Business Commercial district allows for significant vertical development. The maximum building height is generally 5 stories, but it may increase to 7 stories under specific conditions [Section 161.25(F)].

If a building exceeds two stories in the Fayetteville C-3 district, it must provide an additional setback from any side boundary line adjacent to a single-family district. This additional setback must be equal to the difference between the total height of that portion of the building and one story [Section 161.25(F)].

Sections Cited

  • Section 161.25 - District C-3, Central Commercial
  • Section 162.01 - Establishment/Listing (Use Units)

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