Realtor, youth minister, developer are Fayetteville's Ward 3 candidates

FAYETTEVILLE -- Three relative newcomers are vying to fill the Ward 3, Position 2 seat on the City Council left open when Alderman Martin Schoppmeyer Jr. did not file for re-election.

Sarah Bunch, a Realtor; Benjamin Harrison, a youth minister; and Tracy Hoskins, a developer, are seeking the position.

Ward 3 encompasses northeast Fayetteville, including the Northwest Arkansas Mall, Washington Regional Medical Center, Lake Fayetteville and Gulley Park.

All three candidates named east-west road connectivity as a major issue facing the city, particularly in the northeast part of town. Traffic at the intersection of College Avenue and Joyce Boulevard historically has log-jammed during morning and evening rush hour.

Hoskins said congestion has increased greatly since the opening of the flyover. Proposed projects such as connecting Vantage Drive at East Joyce Boulevard to the Fulbright Expressway by way of Sain Street would alleviate traffic buildup at College and Joyce, he said.

He also supports connecting Township Street to Garland Avenue via Drake Street even though but it would involve building a multimillion-dollar bridge across Scull Creek.

He added he wants to work with the University of Arkansas so the city can cross campus land to create more east-west connectivity.

"Without participation from the UofA, the options we do have are going to be costly," he said.

Harrison said he would like to put less stress on motorized vehicle transportation by better connecting the ward's sidewalks and trails. Promoting walking and bicycling puts fewer cars on the road to get caught in traffic, he said.

More zoning designations such as community services, which put small businesses and residences together, would create a sense of "uptown" Fayetteville in Ward 3 that could compare to the city's downtown area connectivity, Harrison said.

Working with Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville to keep traffic flowing along Interstate 49 and the region's trails busy would further unite Northwest Arkansas, Harrison said.

"There's a lot of common sense fixes in Ward 3 with trails and sidewalks," he said. "It's going to be really interesting to get in office and explore the options."

Bunch, a former member of the city Planning Commission, also envisioned a ward in which people could walk or bicycle to their destination, like a store or restaurant, instead of solely for recreational purposes.

She'd like to explore the addition of another flyover, such as to connect Vantage Drive to the expressway. Less-extensive work, such as widening turn lanes at Township and Old Wire Road also could reduce traffic, she said.

"Anything we can do with sidewalks and trails and connectivity, I'm all for that," she said. "I think that just makes for a safer neighborhood."

Hoskins, a business owner and member of the city Planning Commission, described as cumbersome the city's permitting process for developers and the Unified Development Code. Many city ordinances are antiquated and need updated, he said.

For example, if someone wants to renovate the interior of a commercial space, many of the city's departments including those that have nothing to do with the request at hand have to approve, Hoskins said. Such policies add unnecessary bureaucratic layers, he said.

"I get pretty excited about this stuff. It's aggravating," he said. "I don't understand why the sidewalk guy has to sign off on a tenant finish-out on a remodel of the interior of a commercial building."

Harrison suggested having periodic ward meetings as a way to keep the community engaged and assured its needs are addressed. Food and housing insecurity is a huge issue facing the city and state, he said. Community gatherings would go a long way in promoting love and compassion, he said.

Education is key, according to Harrison, who added he hasn't found a problem for which education is not the root answer.

Northwest Arkansas has an opportunity to show the rest of the nation how to embrace cultural diversity in the South and it starts with communication, he said.

"I'm a very will-of-the-people type person," he said. "That's a big part about Ward 3; as it stands right now, we don't have a ward meeting. It's hard to tell what the constituents want when you don't reach out your hands."

College Avenue has several older commercial spaces ripe for development, Bunch said. She cited the shopping center featuring Whole Foods, Chipotle and Jimmy Johns as an example of the direction the ward could take development-wise.

Making those spaces attractive to new businesses will broaden the tax base, bringing in more money to the city and ultimately contributing to a higher quality of life for everyone, she said.

Ward 3 also could benefit from the city's recently adopted economic development initiative to promote startups. Affordable housing, amenities and improved connectivity would bring that type of business to the northeast part of town, Bunch said.

"I want Fayetteville to be the whole package, not just a bedroom community," she said.

The general election is Nov. 8. Early voting starts Oct. 24. Runoffs will be held Nov. 29.

NW News on 10/17/2016