BENTONVILLE -- Four rezoning requests could bring more high-density housing and commercial space downtown.
The lots are at the former location of the city's Street, Electric and Water departments on Southeast Third and Southeast D streets, about six blocks southeast of the square.
Meeting information
The Bentonville Planning Commission will meet at 5 p.m. in the Community Development Building at 305 S.W. A St.
The Planning Commission will consider the rezonings at its meeting Tuesday. There will be a public hearing for each request.
The rezonings total about 10 acres over four pieces of land. Bentonville Housing LLC owns the property. The company's address is 700 S.E. Fifth St. Suite 1, the same as RopeSwing Group, a hospitality company whose managing principal is Tom Walton.
Property owners are asking for a 0.7-acre parcel on the southwest corner of Southeast Third and Southeast D streets and a 2.3-acre parcel at 501 S.E. Third St. to be rezoned from single-family residential to downtown high density.
A 6.3-acre plot at 608 S.E. Third St. and a half-acre at 401 S.E. D St. are requested to be rezoned from single-family residential to downtown mixed-use residential -- the downtown zoning with the highest density.
The downtown high-density zonings would allow for an apartment building to be next to the bike trails and downtown commercial areas, according to the rezoning request. The downtown mixed-use residential zonings would allow apartments and mixed-use buildings.
The requests don't provide details of the buildings, and Brenda Anderson, applicant representative at the Planning Commission's technical review meeting last week, said she wouldn't provide details.
The city's plan calls for the area to have the highest density zoning, but Anderson said they are requesting rezoning a step below that. The property with the highest density requests aren't directly next to single-family homes.
The new downtown zonings the city approved last year move away from defining density by the number of units per acre, said Jon Stanley, city planner. Density in those zonings are confined by structure height and building area.
The maximum height in the downtown high-density zoning is 40 feet, which is about three stories, or 50 feet in the downtown mixed-use residential zoning, he said.
The Planning Department received three letters opposing the rezoning requests.
Keely and Alex Brice, homeowners on Southeast Third Street, said the high-density and mixed use for 501 S.E. Third St. is out of character with their residential community and hinder the atmosphere of the historic district.
"Apartments and duplexes will increase the amount of temporary residents, making it harder to establish a real community of caring neighbors," they wrote. "In addition ... we are concerned that the value of our property will diminish."
Stephen Lowery, homeowner on Southeast C Street, opposed the requests at 501 S.E. Third St. and at the corner of Southeast Third and Southeast D streets.
"New apartments are already being built," he wrote. "We already have too many places for sale in the area. This would increase traffic we cannot handle. Bad for overall property value."
The public has expressed concern about other high-density projects in the past. One of the most notable was the Crystal Flats development along Northeast John DeShields Boulevard last year where the commission tabled a planned unit development zoning request twice after hearing opposition from residents.
The project included several high-density residential buildings with commercial space on the first floor of a main building.
The Planning Department moved a couple commission meetings to the public library to accommodate the large crowd. More people spoke in favor of the project as the process progressed over three months.
Those against it were concerned about building height, increased traffic and safety for Memorial Park users. Those in favor of it argued the need for more affordable housing options near downtown.
Commissioners denied the request in August then approved a different request for the property to be rezoned to a mix of medium and high-density residential and central commercial in October. Development plans were approved in December.
NW News on 03/19/2018