Neighbors of a new 266-home subdivision, proposed for the south side of Kanis Road between the Chenal Downs subdivision and Walnut Grove Road, are rallying against the developer, Wayne Richie.
As many as 200 members of the Concerned Citizens of West Pulaski County are expected to attend today's meeting of the Little Rock Planning Commission, where Richie will be pitching a preliminary plat for The Trails subdivision.
Richie also is asking for approval of a conditional-use permit for a wastewater treatment plant to support the subdivision.
The city staff recommends approval of the subdivision but says no to the treatment plant, which would ultimately discharge treated water into nearby Fletcher Creek. The plant would be located within 650 feet of an existing home, according to a staff report.
Richie said The Trails -- with its own wastewater treatment plant -- is a new concept.
"I don't think there's another subdivision in the city like this," he said. "It's not that it's bad. It's new."
Alan New, principal and senior designer at Taggart Architects in North Little Rock and a member of the residents group's steering committee, said the group opposes the wastewater treatment facility and other aspects of The Trails.
The lots in the subdivision will range from 7,000 square feet to 2 acres, and the proximity of the homes on the lots is more conducive to city living rather than the suburban area where The Trails is planned, New said.
"The lots are basically just a little bit bigger than a basketball court," New said. "We just think the density is just not appropriate for the way of life people have out there."
Members of the group have submitted 40-50 letters against the subdivision.
"It's a roadblock, but it's not a death," Richie said of the opposition, adding that "we can't develop what we want at this time without the treatment plant."
A Sept. 17 email from the residents group's steering committee to group members states that the planned subdivision also lacks green space. Clear-cutting for the development will result in excessive stormwater runoff, and the project will increase traffic and damage to Kanis Road and the Fletcher Hollow area during and after construction, the group contends.
The 154 acres planned for The Trails is outside Little Rock and not eligible to be put on city sewer lines. But the development is close enough for the city to have some control. State law allows cities to plan outside their city limits by using what is called "extraterritorial planning jurisdiction."
If Richie does not get the conditional use for the wastewater treatment plant, he'll have to do some reconfiguring to make the subdivision work, and The Trails will have fewer lots.
The size of the parcels would have to be big enough to accommodate a septic tank for each home, said Donna James, subdivision administrator for the city. City services can't be run to the site because it is technically in Pulaski County and not contiguous with the city, so the property cannot be annexed, James added.
Richie, who's been working on the project for nearly two years, knows he will have his hands full at today's meeting. He said he expects it to be standing-room-only. His partners in the venture are civil engineer Phillip Lewis and builder Harlen Ellis, he said.
He described The Trails as being similar to Hendrix Village in Conway, with a variety of dwellings, mostly "quaint" and "homey" patio and cottage homes. The development also was influenced by Little Rock's Heights and Hillcrest neighborhoods, Richie said.
The subdivision would be developed over about six years using five to seven different builders. Sizes of the homes would range from 1,400 square feet up to 3,000-4,000 square feet and cost between $200,000 and $450,000. Richie said.
Richie said his target homebuyer is the middle-income wage earner.
Said New: "We're not against development. We really want to preserve the character of west Pulaski County. We're for good, smart development. And in our mind this is not good, smart development."
Business on 10/08/2015