BENTONVILLE — Development downtown is closer to moving southeast as the Planning Commission approved the Southeast Downtown Area Plan at its Tuesday meeting.
“The square is near capacity. There’s a lot of activity down there,” Shelli Kerr, planning manager, told commissioners. “We wanted to find another way to draw people downtown with some different types of destinations.”
Kerr said 80 percent to 90 percent of the Downtown Master Plan, which was implemented in 2006, was complete so city officials either had to update it or focus on a specific area.
At A Glance
Commission Action
Bentonville’s Planning Commission met Tuesday and approved:
Gateway Park Phase 1 plans at Southwest Rainbow Farms Road and Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard
Rezoning the southwest corner of Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard and Southwest Rainbow Farms Road from general commercial to industrial so Cross Mar Investments and Glass Investments can build a warehouse and distribution center
Rezoning of about 120 acres west of Peach Orchard Road and Northwest of Lowes Avenue from agricultural to general commercial
The preliminary plat for Green Acres, a one and half acre, four-lot single family residential subdivision at 1005 N.W. A St.
Source: Staff Report
The decision to focus on the southeast downtown area was influenced by four factors, according to agenda documents. It would offer redevelopment opportunities for the former Tyson and Kraft plants as well as the old Ice House; it would help guide development related to the Eighth Street improvement project; it would maintain and improve the city’s investments of Austin-Baggett Park and the Town Branch Trail and it would provide an opportunity to create two "experience districts" — an arts and market district.
The plan has the arts and market districts connected by Southeast Sixth Street. The arts district is between Southwest A and South Main streets between Southeast Fourth and Southeast Sixth streets and would include businesses and programs focused on arts.
The public library would be an anchor in the arts district, Kerr said.
The market district is southwest of the railroad and includes the area around the closed Tyson and Kraft plants and vacant Ice House. It will be an area where food is processed, distributed, accessible and enjoyed, according to the plan.
The plan’s third main focus is on increasing housing in various types so the city can keep pace with changing trends and because more people will need to live and work downtown for the arts and markets districts to succeed, the document outlines.
High density housing options would be in the districts and would move to medium and lower density options along the connecting Southeast Sixth Street corridor, Kerr explained.
Daniel Hintz, former Downtown Bentonville director, spoke in support of the plan and credited the city staff for creating an “incredible Downtown Master Plan” and bringing it to 90 percent completion. He said the new plan is a “well-crafted document” and he’s looking forward to its implementation.
“I can just imagine what this will stimulate over the next several years,” he said.
“I think we’re all in agreement,” Commissioner Debi Havner said. “We really like it.”