BELLA VISTA -- Aldermen on Monday voted 5-0 to annex the Wonderland Cave area and assign C-3, central commercial zoning, to the property. Alderman Larry Wilson was absent.
Mary Miller, co-owner of the property, plans to develop a theme park on the 30 acres located along Dartmoor Road, just south of Manchester Drive.
"I'm very thrilled about the decision," Miller said after the meeting. "I'm excited and I look forward to working with and cooperating with the city and county."
Miller envisions the property as the "Wonderland Cave Adventure Park." The theme park will include an array of attractions like a mini-golf course, petting zoo, shops and restaurants, Miller said. There also are plans to renovate portions of the cave -- which has been closed 30 years -- for dancing and dining. Miller declined to give a construction time line for the project.
The cave first came to prominence in the 1920s, when the Linebarger brothers developed it into an underground nightclub as a side attraction to Bella Vista, which they operated as a summer resort, according to the Bella Vista Historical Museum.
Over the ensuing decades it was used as a wine cellar and convention center. In 1931 the cave hosted an informal session of the General Assembly During the Cold War it was designated as a fallout shelter. The cave was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The City Council made its decision after hearing an impassioned plea from several residents that developing the property would benefit the city. Applause followed nearly every public comment.
"We've struggled to bring growth (to Bella Vista)," said Ashley Linden, owner of Linden's Jewelry. "We didn't want to be Bentonville or Rogers with the big box stores. Now we've got something unique and its ours. Why wouldn't you support that?"
Doug Swanson said that revenue from tourism is important for Bella Vista to flourish.
"For Bella Vista to move forward with young people, we need to bring in commercial enterprise," Swanson said. "There is tremendous potential for growth with this."
The council's decision defies an earlier recommendation from the Planning Commission, which voted 5-1 Aug. 10 to deny Miller's original zoning request of C-4, shopping center district. Under city code, unless an annexed property is assigned a specific zoning district, it enters the city under A-1, agriculture. Miller told commissioners she needed high-density commercial zoning for her project to move forward.
In denying the request, commissioner Don Robinson cited his concerns with other allowances available under C-4 and the possibility that the project could be realized in lower-density commercial zoning districts.
"To jump all the way to C-4 is a problem. I'm worried about setting a precedent," Robinson said.
Planners, as well as aldermen, are required by code to consider all available uses of a property within a designated zoning district, not specific projects, according to Jason Kelley, staff attorney.
NW News on 08/25/2015