FAYETTEVILLE — Kum & Go is eyeing property in northwest Fayetteville where another gasoline station and convenience store could be built.
Planning commissioners on Monday supported Kum & Go’s request to rezone 1.7 acres at Mount Comfort Road and Shiloh Drive. It’s now up to the City Council to decide whether to rezone the land, which is part of Trailwood Mobile Homes.
At a Glance
Planning Commission
Also on Monday, the commission approved:
• A preliminary plat for Legacy Phase V, a 108-single-family-home subdivision along Persimmon Street between 54th Avenue and Double Springs Road.
• A conditional use permit allowing a tandem lot at 2008 N. Cleveland St.
Source: Staff Report
City planning staff recommended denial of Kum & Go’s request, saying the proposal wouldn’t mesh with surrounding land uses and wouldn’t serve as an adequate buffer between Interstate 540 and residential areas on either side of Mount Comfort Road.
“We’re trying to create a quick transition from a lot of noise, a lot of traffic, into a very quiet residential area,” Jesse Fulcher, a city planner, said. Fulcher added that design standards in the commercial zoning district Kum & Go requested wouldn’t promote a “walkable” streetscape.
Commissioner Tracy Hoskins asked how the location was any different from a Kum & Go at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Hill Avenue or another store planned at Happy Hollow and Huntsville roads. Both of those locations, he argued, are within a stone’s throw of residential areas. The mobile home park will serve as a buffer between commercial space and other residential areas, Hoskins said.
“Northwest Fayetteville out there is one of the most under-served areas of town,” he added. “It makes a whole lot of sense to put something like this here.”
Commissioner Ron Autry said a gasoline station with landscaping has potential to eliminate an unsightly salvage yard on land that’s also part Trailwood Mobile Homes. All of the land is owned by the Lloyd and Joan Hays Revocable Trust, according to Washington County property records.
Commissioner Sarah Bunch said there are sidewalks and bicycle lanes in place, making the area walkable already.
“We talk about walkability,” Bunch said. “There’s nothing there to walk to right now.”
William Chesser, the only commissioner to oppose the rezoning request Monday, said he still wasn’t convinced there would be adequate separation between commercial and residential areas.
Kum & Go has invested heavily in Northwest Arkansas in recent years. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company has 15 stores in Washington and Benton counties, according to its website.
Fayetteville locations include the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/Hill Avenue site and a store at College Avenue and Township Street. Commissioners approved plans for the Huntsville/Happy Hollow roads location in July.