ROGERS -- Planning commissioners approved a 31,808-square-foot retail center Tuesday to be built on 52nd Street near Horsebarn Road.
The retail center is in its third incarnation. The center was proposed in about 2003 and approved by commissioners. A second plan was submitted in 2007, according to commissioners.
At A Glance
Commission Action
Rogers’ Planning commissioners met Tuesday and approved:
• A permit for Parker Grand Slam Batting Cages southwest of Dixieland Road and Town West Drive near the Rogers Regional Sports Complex.
• The final plat for Pinnacle Hills Office Park, a six-lot commercial subdivision at Pinnacle Hills Parkway and Champions Drive.
Source: Staff Report
"We've seen this retail center more than once," said Don Spann, chairman of the commission's Large Scale Committee. "We approved it again, with a couple of minor changes."
A bank with a drive-through is planned on one end of the center, Spann said.
"We were concerned with the traffic flow near the Horsebarn Road entrance, but decided, with a couple of minor changes, it would be fine. We also asked that a tree in the landscape plan be moved. We felt like it would make it difficult for motorists to see both directions when leaving the center," Spann said.
The first time the center was proposed, interest in a retail center was waning, said Hunter Haynes of Horsebarn Holdings, which owns the property.
When the retail center was reintroduced in 2007, the economy was showing signs of faltering.
"When we brought the plans for the center back in 2007, the economy was about to take a downward turn, so we decided not to pull the trigger on the project," Haynes said.
As the economy has improved, interest in a retail center has resurfaced.
"We felt there was a need to provide amenities to the vendors and medical community in the area -- a place people working in the area could find a dry cleaner and laundry or other services," Haynes said Tuesday.
The square footage covers two buildings, and the surrounding parking area, according to the plans.
"There are six to seven retail spaces in each building with 159 parking spaces. One building is about 15,000 square feet and the second is about 16,000 square feet," Haynes said.
"We think the time is right for a development like this, and a center on 52nd Street that intersects with Horsebarn Road is a great location," Haynes said.
There are only four lots left in the area, Haynes said.
Ken Booth with Sand Creek Engineering and Landscape Architecture designed the plans for the center in 2007.
"These are the same plans we had then, we're just bringing them forward again," Booth said.
NW News on 08/06/2014