BENTONVILLE — The City Council adopted a landscaping ordinance Tuesday aimed at bringing more trees into the city.
The requirements will apply to new commercial and residential developments.
Troy Galloway, director of community development, said the previous ordinance approved in 1998 wasn't achieving the desired results. He showed the council pictures of different treeless stretches of U.S. 71B from Fayetteville to Bentonville.
“Can you tell where this is?” he asked council members. “There’s a problem when you can’t distinguish what community you’re in. The simple act of planting trees would distinguish Bentonville in Northwest Arkansas.”
The new ordinance will stress planting trees instead of shrubs around developments. Research shows shoppers stay longer and spend 12 percent more money in tree-lined commercial areas over areas without trees, he said. Neighborhoods with tree-lined streets have lower crime rates and more stable housing patterns, he said.
Trees also impact property value in a positive way. One mature tree on a property can increase a property’s value by up to 10 percent, Galloway said.
“It’s safe to say no one’s property value is going to suffer with more trees,” said Roger Thomas, Ward 2 alderman.
The new requirements will only impact new developments and houses in the city, Galloway said.
Planner Beau Thompson said the new regulations were implemented in construction of the Harps on North Walton Boulevard and the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Southwest I Street. Thompson said the two companies saved money by planting trees in parking lot islands instead of landscaping, mulching and irrigating the islands.
“I have not had a dealing with a developer where there was a negative approach,” Thompson said. “They are excited about getting rid of the shrubs and getting the tree canopy increase.”
Alderman Bill Burckart, Ward 3, voiced concern about several provisions from the ordinance. One is a proposed “lifetime” guarantee on plants. City Attorney George Spence said the lifetime guarantee only means if a plant dies or is removed, the property owner must replace it.
Burckart said he wants to make sure the city applies the rules to its own developments and utility work.
“Is there a commitment from us and all the utility companies that if we tear down a tree that we’re going to replace it?” Burckart asked.
At A Glance
Council Action
Bentonville's City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• A three-year lease allowing a polo club to use city property on Price Coffee Road.
• A $18,130 amendment to a contract with Morrison Shipley Engineers on the South Main Project.
• A $33,000 contract with Traffic Engineering Consultants for a traffic signal timing study.
• A $551,698 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to improve runway safety at the airport.
w A bid award to General Construction Solutions for sidewalk and drainage improvement on Northwest Third Street, Southeast Second Street and Southeast A Street
• A contract with CEI Engineering to develop a grading plan for Fire Station No. 6.
Source: Staff Report
“If the ordinance calls for it, I don’t see how we can’t,” replied Jim Grider, alderman for Ward 4.
Burckart also was concerned about requiring accreditation for those submitting landscape plans and an increased buffer requirement.
After lengthy discussion that included input from Scott Eccleston, director of grounds for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, aldermen unanimously approved the ordinance.
The council also approved a contract with Boyette Strategic Advisors to create an economic development plan for Bentonville. The $75,000 plan should be complete in about six months and cover five years.
Brian Bahr, economic development manager for the city, said the plan will give the city direction on its strengths and provide objectives to accomplish over the next five years.
The plan is the first of its kind for the city, said Tom Ginn, vice president of economic development with the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce. The city has benefited from regional economic development plans spearheaded by the Northwest Arkansas Council in the past, but this is the first to focus on Bentonville.
“This is an opportunity for everybody to get on the same page,” Ginn said.