Barling gets land-swap offer from Fort Chaffee authority

BARLING - The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority is offering Barling 80 acres of land to compensate for the 80 acres the town would lose to the Arkansas National Guard in a proposed land swap.

“It’s our first shot at trying to figure out a way to make them [Barling officials] happy,” authority Executive Director Ivy Owen said last week.

Owen went before the Barling Board of Directors on March 25 with the offer of the land that’s along Arkansas 59 and just south of Springhill Park. The land is within the city limits but is owned by the redevelopment authority, which is to revert the former Fort Chaffee property to civilian use.

He told the city directors Barling could develop the land or sell it and enjoy whatever revenue and tax money the sale would generate. He said he hoped the land would offset the loss of tax revenue and economic benefits of the 80 acres that is part of the proposed land swap with the National Guard.

Barling Mayor Jerry Barling said last Wednesday that the board did not discuss the offer after Owen’s presentation but it will be considered again when the board next meets.

Some city directors made comments at the meeting, including Bruce Farrar who said he did not believe giving the 80 acres to the National Guard would be the best use of the land.

The National Guard and redevelopment authority are working on a proposal to trade 200 acres of redevelopment authority land next to the Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center cantonment area for 522 acres of unused Fort Chaffee land along Custer Boulevard. Of the 200 acres the National Guard would get, 120 acres is in Fort Smith’s city limits and the remaining 80 acres is in Barling.

All of the 522 acres is in Fort Smith.

The 200 acres the National Guard would get once held hundreds of World War II vintage barracks. They burned in 2009 and the land has been cleared and is ready for development.

Military officials have said they would like to use the land for additional housing for officers and soldiers training at Fort Chaffee. The availability of the land also would allow Fort Chaffee to compete for a regional training facility.

Arkansas, Pages 15 on 04/02/2014

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