Bella Vista Planning Commission Recommends Rezoning For Annexed Land

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

— Effective Jan. 3, Bella Vista got a little bigger.

The Planning Commission on Monday night settled on zoning recommendations for land voluntarily annexed into the city along its southern limits.

The six parcels included in the acquisition are Cooper Elementary and an adjacent lot on which the Blowing Springs trailhead sits, the new Mercy Health facility, a Bella Vista Property Owners Association pump house, VFW Post 9063 and the Veterans Wall of Honor near Lake Bella Vista.

The commission voted to recommend C-4 zoning for the clinic, school, pump station and VFW, and P-1 open space zoning for the trailhead and Veterans Wall of Honor.

The voluntary annexation petition was filed in July last year. The City Council approved the annexation in November, following months of deliberation by County Judge Bob Clinard over a small triangle of land in the Lake Bella Vista parking lot of which ownership is unclear in county records.

The city took in the triangle to avoid a pocket of land belonging to neither Bella Vista nor Bentonville. Planners recommended P-1 zoning.

The area to the east of Lake Bella Vista known as Bella Vista Heights will remain in the county, after a lawsuit challenged and overturned the annexation of it and numerous other parcels surrounding the city’s border.

The City Council will vote on the new districts at its next regular meeting.

Chairman Jack Wingate and vice chairman J.D. Lance announced their resignations from the commission at the meeting. A replacement has already been sought for Wingate’s position, and Planning Director Chris Suneson said he will be on the lookout for another member to replace Lance.