Rogers panel allows new tiny home neighborhood

ROGERS -- Plans for a new "tiny home" development have the support of the Planning Commission.

Plans show a 50-unit housing development on about 5.3 acres off of South Monte Ne Road in east Rogers. Back in 2016, Dave and Chris Gallo developed a neighborhood off of Olive Street with more than 20 homes, most of which are about 400 square feet. The Gallos' attempt at a second neighborhood served as a catalyst for the city creating new rules to allow for "cluster housing" zoning.

The city doesn't allow land to be rezoned for traditional mobile homes. The Olive Street development was built on land already zoned for mobile homes. In 2019, the Gallos tried to develop a second neighborhood and found no proper zoning existed for the project.

The commission also approved plans for two multifamily projects.

A 168-unit apartment complex, Willow Creek Apartments, is set to be built on about 9 acres off of West New Hope Road and South Ninth Street in east Rogers. Plans for the project show 14 buildings with 12 units each.

The fourth phase of Shadowbrooke at the Peaks, a condominium development on South Everest Avenue east of Interstate 49 south of the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion, also got the green light. The fourth phase is to include 16 units on about 7.8 acres, according to planning documents.

The commission approved a request by Kenneth Sanders to rezone 1.6 acres at West Perry Road west of Sam Davis Road from agricultural to the residential single family zoning district, which allows homes to be built there. They also approved a request by the Warren Family to rezone about 4.3 acres at the southwest corner of Pinnacle Hills Parkway and West Pleasant Grove Road from agricultural to the neighborhood commercial zoning district, which allows commercial development to be built there.

Commissioners voted to rezone about 4 acres at 2720 Dixieland Road from agricultural to the neighborhood residential zoning district at the request of Bespoke Builders, Inc.

The commission tabled a request to rezone more than 27 acres at the northwest corner of South First Street and West New Hope Road from heavy industrial to the highway commercial and light industrial zoning districts. Bill Watkins, an attorney representing the request, said before the meeting that the reason for rezoning request is not for any specific planned project. The owner may consider having a tenant on some of the property, he said.

The commission also tabled a request by Cottonwood Multifamily to rezone about 8 acres west of South Eighth Street and north of West Banz Road from agricultural to residential multifamily to allow a townhome development.

All items passed unanimously with commissioner Tony Noblin absent from the meeting. The commission held its meeting via Zoom, a video conferencing service, in light of the covid-19 pandemic.