BENTONVILLE -- The Planning Commission approved Tuesday a zoning change permitting a dense residential development in a mostly commercial area near Rainbow Curve.
The commission approved 7-0 to rezone about 2 acres along the west side of Southwest C Street and north side of Southwest 34th Street from general commercial to high-density residential.
Commission Action
The Bentonville Planning Commission met Tuesday and approved:
• Rezoning 103 S.W. B St. from single family residential to residential office.
• Rezoning 4 acres on Northwest Third Street from agricultural to single family residential.
• Rezoning about 2 acres on Southeast 34th Street and Southeast C Street from general commercial to high density residential.
• Rezoning 431 S.W. B St. from single family residential to downtown core.
• Rezoning 905, 907 and 909 N. Main St. from single family residential and central residential moderate density to downtown medium density residential.
• A permit for a yoga studio at 1203 and 1205 S.E. 33rd St.
• A property line adjustment at 701 N.W. Eighth St.
Source: Staff Report
Honey Creek Land & Cattle of Bentonville owns the land and requested the zoning.
The land is less than a half mile northeast of Rainbow Curve -- the intersection of Walton Boulevard and Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard -- and about a tenth of a mile north of Four Points by Sheraton and DoubleTree Suites hotels. It's west of Phillips Park.
"The rezoning request is consistent with the proposed amendment to the city's master plan for this area, which promotes pockets of high density residential areas near commercial areas to encourage living and working in proximity," Nate Bachelor, CEI Engineering Associates project manager, wrote in a memo to commissioners on behalf of the owner.
The buildings will front Southwest C Street, and the driveways will be added on Southwest C Street and Southwest 34th Street, Bachelor's letter reads. Signs, architectural appearance and site lighting will be addressed in the development plans.
The land sat empty when dedicated as commercial land use on the city's land use plan. It wasn't conducive to commercial use since it sat behind Walton Boulevard, planning staff had said during the Jan. 10 Technical Review meeting.
The designation was changed to high-density residential in December. The zoning change is the next step in process to develop the land with residential housing.
"It was an unused space for a long time, and this will be a good use for it," said Commissioner Scott Eccleston in the Jan. 10 meeting.
Commissioner Tregg Brown asked during Tuesday's meeting what the maximum density would be in the high-density residential zoning.
It would be 48 units per acre or 96 units for the property, said Beau Thompson, city planner.
"That'd be real tough to accomplish," Thompson said of the permitted maximum capacity.
No one spoke during the public hearing, and commissioners had little comment about the request before approving it Tuesday.
Commissioners also tabled a request to rezone 1203 and 1205 S.E. 33rd St. from agricultural to single family residential and a request to rezone 431 S.W. B St. from single family residential to downtown core because of inadequate public notification of the public hearing.
No one spoke at either public hearing Tuesday. A second public hearing for each request is scheduled for the Feb. 7 Planning Commission meeting.
NW News on 01/18/2017