Walmart Property Rezoned Commercial

— The Planning Commission voted to rezone 15 acres south of Washington Junior High School on Tuesday, allowing Walmart to go forward with development plans.

At A Glance

Commission Action

Bentonville’s Planning Commission approved property line adjustments at 410 N.W. Fifth St. and 1401 S.W. Second St. on Tuesday.

Source: Staff Report

Stephen Giles, an attorney representing Walmart, told a nearby property owner at the meeting Walmart had shown the city plans for a Neighborhood Market on the eastern half of the site.

“I want to know what they’re planning to put in,” said Elaine Welch, who lives on Northeast M Street.

Giles said the company wanted to rezone the site at 1703 E. Central Ave. from agricultural to commercial for “future commercial development.”

“There are really no specific plans at this time,” Giles said. “We just would like to rezone it and hold it.”

He said development of the property is five to 10 years away.

“It won’t be developed for quite some time,” Giles said.

City staff recommended approving the rezoning, saying the city’s land use plan envisions the site as commercial. Development of the property requires approval of a large-scale development plan.

The commission also approved a planned residential development for The Villas at Central Avenue at 2606 E. Central Ave. Developers plan a 16-building, 104-unit apartment complex at the site.

Neighbors voiced concerns at a public hearing, citing worries about traffic congestion, cats and higher crime.

The yard of Laura Duncan’s home on Jordan Lane backs up on the planned complex. She said Battlefield Boulevard is already a “race track.” She asked for more speed limit signs along the road.

“I’m going to have a lot more neighbors than I anticipated when we bought our home,” she said.

Developers made changes to the design of the complex after hearing the same concerns from neighbors two weeks ago. They eliminated back windows from upper floors that would look over backyards and re-oriented the buildings to be less intrusive to neighboring properties.

They also agreed to look at a higher fence as requested by a neighbor. Plans show a 6-foot fence.

Dave Burris, an architect for the project, said the developers lowered density of the complex and added more amenities and high-end finishes to attract an upscale clientele.

“This will be a higher quality unit development,” Burris said. “Instead of higher density, we went with lower density with more amenities. We want it to be more appealing to renters and the surrounding neighborhood.”

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