ROGERS -- The city's largest undeveloped tract of land along Interstate 49 will have to remain undeveloped at least a little while longer.
The Mills Family Farm requested a 188-acre lot southwest of the intersection of Interstate 49 and Pleasant Grove Road be rezoned from agricultural to a mix of highway commercial, residential office, residential multifamily at 24 units per acre and residential multifamily at 12 units per acre for rental purposes.
Commission Action
Rogers’ Planning Commission met Tuesday approved:
• Victor Arguelles’ request for a permit allowing vehicle repair at 116 W. Easy Street.
• Karlene Schatz’ request for a permit allowing day care at 2705 W. Olive Street.
• Rezoning 3.99 acres off N. 12th Street, south of W. Hudson Road, from multifamily 12 units per acre to multifamily 15 units per acre.
• Nestle’s 52-space parking lot expansion for its office, 3605 W. Southern Hills Blvd.
Rogers' Planning Commission met Tuesday tabled:
• Alexandrea Galleur’s request for a permit to allowing day care at 1106 Poplar Place .
• Martin Mota’s permit request allowing vehicle repair and service at 706 N. 8th Street.
Source: Staff Report
The item was tabled Tuesday after opposition during a standing-room-only public hearing and not being well received by the Planning Commission.
If the rezone is eventually approved, 25 acres would be designated for multifamily use in the southwest corner. Some of the surrounding properties are owned by Rogers Public Schools and the First Baptist Church.
Attorney Bill Watkins, who represented the farm during the meeting, said development of the large tract of property is a bright prospect for the city and it fits well within the city's plan. Watkins also said the property owner had made concessions to better fit with the neighborhood interest.
"We had a community meeting last Thursday and as a result, submitted an application revised to include two buffer zones ... a compromise of neighbor's concerns and property use," Watkins said.
Designating some areas as buffer zones decreases those acres by half, Watkins said. The Mills Family Farm acreage was estimated at $200,000 an acre, $100,000 per acre in the buffer zones, for a multimillion-dollar property. Watkins noted any developer interested in the property would have streets developed according to the street plan, all buildings would be limited to a height of 35 feet and the plan would have to provide 50 percent green space to earn the designation of 24 units per acre or 30 percent green space for 12 units per acre.
The project was brought forward as a rezoning request and not a planned unit development because the Mills Family Farm simply wants to find a buyer, Watkins said. No developer has been decided at this point, but an offer was made on more than 40 acres at the northeast corner on Pleasant Grove.
Several members of the community voiced their concerns.
"Every time we drive by...high density rental developments, we say, 'sure glad that's not by us,'" said Vernon Cunningham, who lives in the nearby Lexington subdivision, which houses 114 families. Approving the rezone would mean welcoming the very developments they dread, Cunningham said. "There are real concerns about the traffic that would be added to the area. We have a church and elementary school but rental property is a whole different set of problems."
Amending the project to include 9 acres of buffer was a good start but not enough to keep faith in their properties are marketable, another resident said.
"We're just asking that it be developed respectfully," said Jon Crinshaw, a resident of nearby Silo Falls. More than half of those in attendance were from this neighborhood. They attended because they care deeply about the place they call home, he said. "Balance the Mills family interest and what we want the space to look like, with proper green space buffers."
Al Coffman, a resident of Ridgecrest Meadows, also said the buffer wasn't enough.
"Buffer the northwest corner as well," Coffman said. "We need a larger discussion about this. What would those sight lines be, how would the grading look? I don't want 100 foot building on that corner."
Jessica Willis, Silo Falls resident, wanted the commission to reject the proposal until they had more information about the developer and intentions for the property.
"The zoning allows for up to 10-story building within 300 feet of residential" property, Willis said. "That's not an appropriate zoning next to single family residential... No one wants 35-foot-tall building right past residential."
The possibility of a development having 600 new residents made Willis concerned about the timeline for road improvements.
Nearby resident Bethany Johnson shared Willis' concern about road traffic and teared up as she told commissioners of her concerns for the safety of her children.
Realtor Lynden Polk said the development would impact the sale of single family homes in the area.
"In 90 percent of cases, people walk out and look at view of what is abutting," Polk said of home showings. "Numerous cases turned away because something not sightly in the backyard. How does that affect value when selling home? I can't put a number on it but sure can tell you it affects value."
In a rebuttal, Watkins used the Pinnacle Hills Promenade as an example of slim residential office boundaries with single family homes on one side.
"This is not inconsistent with what the city has done in the past," he said. "I knew we'd talk about burdens on schools, construction, traffic and crime, we've addressed that. But there's no empirical evidence that residential multifamily has a genuine effect on that."
Watkins urged commissioners to consider the opportunity for prime commercial space and the resulting sales tax and its impact for the city and schools.
Commissioner Dennis Ferguson was concerned about the property's southeast corner, which had no other buffer than a street, he said. Commissioner Barney Hayes said he would like to see a more detailed plan and order a traffic study.
"We're being asked to rezone this without any clue what's going on here," said Commissioner Kevin Jensen, who couldn't see the point of rezoning the property at this stage. His comments drew applause from the crowd.
Commission chairman Don Spann seemed to agree.
"There's hesitancy on my part to lock into these strip areas," Spann said. "I look at this and think maybe that's not quite enough buffer. I wish they'd just sell it as agricultural and let developers rezone it in responsible manner.
NW News on 03/22/2017