Support Measure for Love's Fails

Future Of Springdale Overlay District Debated

— A proposal to support a new business turned into a debate over new development that ended with no resolution.

A City Council vote to support construction of a Love’s Travel Center failed to pass although it drew the most votes. The council voted 3-2 in favor of the resolution but it needed five votes to pass.

The debate lasted more than an hour and a half with council members exchanging heated comments. Mayor Doug Sprouse and members of the audience debated the prospects for development near the proposed Love’s location.

At A Glance

Council Action

Springdale’s City Council met Tuesday and approved:

-An amended plat of Spring Hill Subdivision that added a fire access road and removed the requiring sprinklers

-Changing the permitting process for open burning in the city

-Spending $1.5 million for paving and repair of streets from the Capital Improvement Program fund

-Engineering design contracts for Fire Department improvement

-A contract for improvement on the Senior Center parking lot

-Condemnation on property owned by the Church of Northwest Arkansas along Dearing Road for right of way of the Don Tyson Interchange.

Source: Staff Report

“Good and reasonable people can disagree on what is best for the future,” Sprouse said.

A vote to table the resolution also failed to pass, with three votes for and two against.

State law requires the vote of a majority of the council members to pass legislation. Three of the eight members — Bobby Stout, Rick Evans and Kathy Jaycox — were absent.

Mike Overton, Jim Reed and Eric Ford voted for the resolution; Brad Bruns and Jeff Watson voted against.

Bruns, Watson and Ford voted to table the resolution with Overton and Reed voting against tabling.

The travel center, if built, would be on the southwest corner of the planned Don Tyson Parkway interchange on Interstate 540. The property is owned by Victory Church of Northwest Arkansas. The church once planned to build on the property.

“We’re being asked to vote without a large-scale development plan,” Bruns said. “I think this should go through the process.”

Bruns said an approving the resolution would influence the process. Overton, who placed the resolution on the agenda, said the resolution would merely express the support for a business willing to make a large investment in the community.

A proposed overlay district would include the Love’s site. A committee is working on rules for the overlay, Sprouse said.

A plan for the overlay would include a recommendation for best uses in the district and include guidelines for constancy of material, said Gerald Luecke of Hodges and Associates. Hodges has been hired to help form the overlay.

“The regulations would work with the existing city ordinances and raise the bar,” Luecke said.

Luecke said, answering a question, the travel center would bring tractor-trailers through the development and be a detriment to its quality.

The center would bring in $100,000 to $110,000 in sales taxes to the city, said Jerry Horton, the real estate salesman for the church.

“We need to ask if we are giving up more,” Sprouse said.

The overlay district is centered on Arvest Ballpark, a baseball park built by the city. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals hold a lease to play in the park.

Church members spoke to support the location of any business in the area.

“We’re five years into the lease and we haven’t had any more dirt turned there,” Paul Howard said.

“All the businesses out there are not going to be Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus,” Dave Alton said.

The process of building the interchange has been rough on the church, said Billy Coffman, pastor. The church’s building on the opposite side of the interchange will have to be demolished.

“We’ve had to depend on God because you haven’t helped us at all,” Coffman said.

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