FAYETTEVILLE -- Regional planners will host another round of public input sessions this week for their Northwest Arkansas open space study. One session is in Springdale but others are in more outlying areas including Garfield, Gentry and Prairie Grove.
"It's a plan for everyone. The growth we expect to see over the next 25 years may affect them more than other areas of Northwest Arkansas," said Elizabeth Bowen, project manager on the study. "Urban sprawl, we're experiencing that and these areas have the potential to experience high growth."
Open up for open space
Here’s how you can participate in an open space study being conducted by the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission:
Public workshops: Planners will hold a series of input sessions this week at various locations around the region. Meetings will be drop-in from 4 to 6:30 p.m. All meetings will have the same information. Meeting locations are as follows:
• Today: NEBCO Community Center, 17823 Marshall St. in Garfield.
• Tuesday: The Jones Center, 922 E. Emma Ave. in Springdale.
• Wednesday: Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, 506 E. Douglas St. in Prairie Grove.
• Thursday: Gentry City Library, 105 E. Main St. in Gentry
Project Website: Learn more about the project background, benefits of open space and why this plan is important. Find links to the comment form, input map, and other project resources. Visit the site throughout 2015 for project updates. www.nwaopenspace.com
Online Input Map: What are your favorite open spaces in Northwest Arkansas? Use this map to drop points describing your favorite places and see what others have listed: http://wikimapping.…
Online Comment Form: Tell regional planners what you value most in terms of open space. Direct link: www.surveymonkey.co…
For more information contact: Elizabeth Bowen, Project Manager, NWA Regional Planning Commission, 1311 Clayton St., Springdale, Ark., 72762; Office: 479-751-7125; Fax: 479-751-7150; [email protected]
Source: Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission
Planners estimate Benton and Washington counties will have about 750,000 people by 2040 and planners want to make sure the areas that are attracting people to this area now are preserved.
Bowen said there will be information available at the sessions about the project and schedule, growth in the region and the benefits of open space. She will have maps showing outdoor recreation areas, population densities, natural resources, the built environment and land uses.
Those attending can also identify on maps the outdoor areas they like to use, participate in a written survey and tell planners what areas they'd like to see protected. Planners are also developing methodology for determining what areas should be preservation priorities, based on such things as habitat, natural resources and heritage or cultural significance.
The resulting plan will be incorporated into the region's long-term master plan.
"It is the intent of the plan to focus on identifying natural open space assets, analyzing and assessing those assets and developing potential strategies for conserving those resources for the use of current and future generations," according to a Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission resolution.
Examples of open space include the regional trail system, national forests, state and national parks, wildlife management areas, rivers and areas around Beaver Lake, University of Arkansas agricultural property, city parks, properties held in trust and land owned by private nonprofit groups.
Some recognized benefits to preserving open space in communities include creating a high quality of life that attracts tax-paying businesses and residents; stimulating commercial growth and promoting city revitalization; boosting local economies by attracting tourists and supporting outdoor recreation; floodplain protection; protecting agricultural land to safeguard the future of farming economies and communities; and, safeguarding drinking water and clean air, according to regional planners.
A $350,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation will pay the cost of the yearlong study.
"We really need people to come out and tell us what makes Northwest Arkansas a special place to them and what natural spaces are important to them," said John McLarty, a senior planner at the commission.
Open space also is important to preserving water quality in the region. Beaver Lake is the primary water source for most of the 500,000 residents in the region. Open space holds water, keeping it from rushing into the rivers and washing pollutants into Beaver Lake, according to John Pennington with the Beaver Watershed Alliance.
NW News on 06/08/2015