FAYETTEVILLE — Members of Fayetteville's Marinoni family may have found a buyer for a large swath of land they own southeast of Interstate 540 and Wedington Drive.
Capstone Collegiate Communities plans to build up to 167 residential units with three, four and five bedrooms on about a quarter of the roughly 112-acre Marinoni land. If approved, the development will house about 800 University of Arkansas students, according to an engineer for the project.
At A Glance
Advisory Board Tables Request
The Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Monday tabled a request from Capstone Collegiate Communities to pay the city $93,520 in lieu of parkland dedication requirements for a cottage-style development planned on 28 acres owned by the Marinoni family.
Board members were divided on whether to accept actual parkland for the development or have the developers pay money in lieu of parkland dedication.
Chairman Phillip Watson asked an engineer for the project to better define what areas of the development could be used as green space.
The issue is scheduled to again be heard at the parks board’s April 7 meeting.
Source: Staff Report
The Marinoni property has been mostly pasture land for more than 60 years. Eight Marinoni siblings grew up in a house on the cattle ranch, Mary Sue Shaw, Paul and Mary Marinoni's eldest daughter, said Monday.
The siblings have had numerous inquiries about the property. It was one of several sites considered for a new high school in the mid-2000s. Capstone was under contract to buy a portion of the land from the Marinonis in 2012, but development never occurred. More recently, university officials considered the land as a potential site for new intramural fields.
"There have been many, many considerations, but we've been waiting for the right one," Shaw said. "(Capstone Collegiate Communities) seems to have their ducks in a row. They seem to have plenty of experience."
According to its website, the Birmingham, Ala.-based company has built similar projects in 13 other university towns, including Auburn, Ala., Gainesville, Fla., Columbia, Mo., and Norman, Okla.
John Acken, executive vice president, said the idea for Fayetteville is a mix of "cottage-style" apartments that resemble individual houses.
"The neighborhood would have the look and feel of a single-family-home residential neighborhood," Acken said.
A change to city code in 2012 allowed up to five unrelated people to live together in a multi-family dwelling in a certain type of development called a planned zoning district. Prior to that, occupancy was limited to three unrelated people in single-family houses and four roommates in apartments.
The higher density has at least one of Fayetteville's eight City Council members concerned.
Ward 4 Alderman Alan Long said Monday he won't support any development on the Marinoni property that features five roommates.
"I don't think student housing is the best use for that property," Long said.
Long said the project would not be compatible with neighborhoods to the east, and he questioned what impact 800 students would have on residential streets leading to the university. He said he invited Capstone representatives to attend a Ward 4 meeting at 6 p.m. March 31 in Room 111 of the City Administration Building, 113 W. Mountain St.
Acken said he would be happy to meet with residents.
"This is still very preliminary," he said. "We want to gain input from the public as we go through this process."
Acken said Capstone would like to begin construction this summer and have the cottages open in time for the fall 2015 semester.
He said the cottage concept is meant to be more compatible with nearby neighborhoods than a high-rise apartment complex. And, he added, the development would be located along a bus route. He said private shuttles would be available to take students to campus in an effort to cut down on any added traffic.
Shaw emphasized there is no direct access planned to the east at this time. Cars would enter and exit the development off Wedington Drive.
"We're excited about moving forward with this," Shaw said. "I hope people will embrace it."
NW News on 03/11/2014