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Tyson Plant Land Could Net Fayetteville Almost $1 Million

Land in southeast Fayetteville that once held an old Tyson Foods may soon hold a Kum & Go convenience store, putting almost $1 million in city coffers. Repr...
Tyson

Land in southeast Fayetteville that once held an old Tyson Foods may soon hold a Kum & Go convenience store, putting almost $1 million in city coffers.

Representatives for the gas station company contacted city officials to offer $900,000 in exchange for a two-acre piece of land near the intersection of East Huntsville Road and Happy Hollow Road.

The land is part of a larger 11-acre campus the city bought in 2004 for $1.1 million. The property had housed a Tyson Mexican Original taco and corn chip factory. The city later built a fire station on the property, but the old Tyson structure still stands, dilapidated and crime-ridden, according to city records.

Trespassers have stripped the metals and valuables out of the building, according to the city.

“Our police frequently have been called to the site for ongoing problems and safety issues,” states a letter sent to City Council members from City Attorney Kit Williams. “I believe the mayor and many aldermen will be glad that we can finally remove the unattractive hulk and return some of this property into productive use.”

The council agreed Tuesday to discuss the potential sale of the land. The body’s next regularly-scheduled meeting is next Tuesday.

Kum & Go originally offered to buy 10 acres of the property for $985,000, leading to negotiations between the company and the city that resulted in the current offer.

The convenience store company’s offer also states Kum & Go would be willing to pay 25 percent of the costs for the demolition of the Tyson factory. The proposed land purchase by Kum & Go does not include land on which the factory structure stands.

The city estimates full demolition and removal of the Tyson plant could cost about $475,000. The money left over from the Kum & Go purchase could be placed into an ailing city budget, which has been cut more than $2 million, Williams’ letter states.

The city built a fire station on the 11-acre property following its original 2004 purchase.

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