Pulaski County hosted its third public vision meeting for residents to share their ideas and comments on future land use in the unincorporated areas of the county last week.
Many landowners who showed up at the North Pulaski Community Center in Jacksonville on Thursday expressed concern over possible development.
One of the questions in a live survey asked residents to give their input on how the county could positively impact the rural communities. The overwhelming response was: "Leave us alone."
Charlie Gervasini, a longtime property owner in the area, said he doesn't think the county or other government has the people's best interests in mind.
"I'm skeptical at best," he said. "People are going to develop. That's okay, I just don't think it's the county's role to say who can and can't develop. I'll take my chances with developers. I trust them more than I do the government."
Kristina Gulley, former justice of the peace for District 10, said everyone was "totally against this." She also mentioned that not enough notice was given in letters to residents about the meeting. Signs should have been posted along the street directing residents, and a bigger venue should have been reserved.
"I believe that people should be brought to the table before there's decisions made," she said. "A part of me feels like decisions have already been made, and that's not fair to the residents in the unincorporated community. Of course, my passion is District 10. But growing up in an unincorporated community myself, I understand where they're coming from -- the people here tonight, their frustrations."
However, Gulley said she is for positive change and wants to see more sidewalks, proper street lighting and a round about installed at Wooten and Valentine roads.
Karyn Maynard, another landowner in the area, said the county should put regulations on big developers that want to create subdivisions.
"It won't stop. It'll just keep going," she said. "[Developers] don't give up."
Maynard said living in the country comes with its own set of rules and things "you learn to get over," like fireworks.
"[The county] shouldn't do it," she said. "Their response needs to be, 'They want you to leave them alone.' What other county in Arkansas has any kind of land use plan for the unincorporated areas?"
Maynard said she also has land in Claiborne where she's allowed to have a septic tank, and she plans to build a building nearby. She mentioned she was texting Aaron Robinson, justice of the peace for District 11, who did not make the meeting.
"I told him we don't want this, he should've been here," she said.
Phil Stowers, justice of the peace for District 13, answered questions at the meeting and clarified that the goal of the land use study is to do what residents want for the future of where they live.
On Saturday afternoon, Stowers said in an email to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: "My number one objective is preserving the rural way of life. As developers run out of land to develop in the municipalities, they are looking at opportunities for large scale development in the 'country', in the 'county' -- thus disrupting the country way of life of the rural citizen. I will continue the fight to keep the city out of the country by protecting our county residents from having their rural way of life infringed upon by wealthy developers and big government overreach."
Van McClendon, Pulaski County director of planning and development, said their presence at the meeting was probably a threat to residents because they represent change.
"Change is gonna come anyway," he said. "So what we want to do is try to make the best of what we can and we want their input and their concerns and that's why we're going to incorporate in the plan and then they'll get the opportunity to speak before the planning board when the plan is more fully formed."
Each of the areas being studied have different concerns, wants and needs McClendon said.
"This will be helpful for us to know what they are," he said. "When we go to look at our master role planner and also how it interfaces with the cities, the municipalities, external players in this."
The county will schedule more public vision meetings for residents to attend in the near future.