BENTONVILLE — Benton County’s review of planning regulations has cleared one hurdle — review by the Quorum Court’s Legislative Committee — and has been returned to the Planning Board.
Chris Ryan, county planning and environmental director, said planning staff will review changes suggested by the justices of the peace and prepare a draft of the regulations for the board to review.
“We are going to make all the edits that were asked for by the Legislative Committee that we are able to come to some conclusion on,” Ryan said. “There are a few areas that remain incomplete — in-home occupations, family splits and some others.They agreed that if they kicked it back to the Planning Board they could some to some conclusions there.”
Once the staff finishes the draft the board will consider the changes in a series of public hearings before sending it to the Committee of the Whole for consideration and then to the Quorum Court for adoption, Ryan said. The board is considering holding a special work day session to complete the review, Ryan said.
“We hope to have the draft completed by April 26,” Ryan said. “The Planning Board is looking at a Saturday work session May 4 from 8 a.m. to about noon. We’re looking at trying to go through and complete it that morning if we can.”
Justice of the Peace Tom Allen, chairman of the Legislative Committee, said the panel’s review of the regulations has been worthwhile, if lengthy.
“We had more meetings than I had planned, but I’m very satisfied,” Allen said. “We’ve had plenty of time for discussion, we’ve had good media coverage and opportunities for the public to ask questions and participate.”
Allen said he's disappointed in the general lack of public comment on the planning regulations, since they potentially affect so many people in the county.
Web Watch
Revised Planning Regulations
Benton County’s revised planning regulations are being posted on the county website at www.bentoncountyar.gov under the “regulation rewrite” heading in the Planning Department menu. The material is being amended as the project progresses, according to Chris Ryan, county planning and environmental director.
“I know that the plan is to continue the hearings at the Planning Board and then take it on a town hall meeting or two,” Allen said. “We always have the problem of getting the public motivated enough to participate in the process of government at this level.”
Mark Curtis, chairman of the board, said the review process has gone about as he expected.
“The Planning Board looks at any input from the legislative branch as helpful,” he said. “We’re still on the drawing board at this point and we need them to let us know where we need to tweak the language or look at something else.”
Ryan said the board has discussed taking the public hearings on the regulation “on the road” and holding at least two two hall-type meetings — one on the west side of the county and one on the east side of the county — and also has considered holding an open house at the Planning Department offices where members of groups that should be interested in the process and the results will be invited for a review and question-and-answer session.