Liquor store permit tabled in round two

BENTONVILLE -- Planning commissioners tabled a permit allowing a liquor store to open near Memorial Park for the second time Tuesday.

Chad Smith, one of the project's applicants, asked for the item to be tabled to allow for more time to develop plans that would be in accordance with the conditions outlined in the permit. Commissioners granted the request 7-0 after hearing from two residents.

Bentonville Planning Commission

Bentonville Planning Commission met Tuesday and approved:

• A lot split for the Children’s Academy at 1002 S.W. I St.

• A lot split for lots 199 and 200 in Bentonville Original Subdivision on Town Vu Road.

• Rezoning Lots 1 and 2 in Elm Tree Center Subdivision on Southwest Elm Tree Road from neighborhood commercial to high density residential.

• Rezoning Lot 197 in Stoneburrow Subdivision on Town Vu Road from agricultural to single family residential.

• A permit for Children’s Academy at 1002 S.W. I St.

Source: Staff report

Both said they were for small business and economic development but believed the location was inappropriate.

The permit would allow for a liquor store at 2501 E. Central Ave. Gasoline is being sold at the location, but the building's interior is bare. It's on the east side of Northeast Moberly Lane. Memorial Park sits on the west side of the street.

City ordinance prohibits alcohol sales within 500 feet of a city park or trail without a permit.

Smith wants to open Gatsby's Fine Wine, Beer and Spirits. It would provide unique product offerings and Prohibition-era decor, according to meeting documents.

The location was chosen because of the stoplight and the intersection's high traffic count, Smith explained during the public hearing.

"There's really nothing else on that side of town that's feasible," he said.

Smith added he and his business partners are looking to be good stewards of the community and make sure all the conditions in the permit are met.

The permit has 11 conditions, including the landscaping is brought into compliance with city code and there be no access onto Northeast Moberly Lane.

The business was issued a permit to sell beer and wine about four years ago, city staff previously said. That was when the business operated as White Oak Station. Conditions under that permit were never met, according to staff.

Commissioners have voiced that as a concern over the last two weeks.

The Planning Department has received seven emails from residents expressing concern about the project. Most cited the location to the park, nearby schools and that it's a gateway into the city as the main issue.

"Alcohol is already readily available in this area of town for those who live here," Erin Edgington wrote in one of those emails. "Kum and Go, the new Neighborhood Market and Casey's General Store all sell alcohol. Our town does not need a fourth, more visible, location to buy alcohol in a 1.6 mile stretch of road, and especially not right next to Memorial Park."

Tara Fleming was one of the two residents who spoke against the project at Tuesday's public hearing. She drafted a nonofficial petition on change.org to see what the public opinion was regarding the liquor store.

She obtained more than 200 signatures in two days, she said.

The petition isn't an official one, but it's not just a social media "share and like" activity, either. People had to register on the website and provide personal information in order to sign it, Fleming explained.

The permit was tabled at the Feb. 17 meeting so more discussions could take place between the applicants, planning staff, the Police Department and city attorney.

Staff met with Smith on Friday. Steve Turner, another applicant on the project, told staff Tuesday he wouldn't be able to have new plans, especially related to the required screening, done for the evening's meeting, Beau Thompson, city planner, said.

"We asked for a lot of detail as far as berm heights and planting types and their anticipated growth, distances from utilities and so forth," he said. "They're having to do quite a bit of research to create a berm, a separation, a good screen."

Plans should be ready for review at the technical review meeting March 10, Thompson said. It will be placed on the March 17 meeting for commission action.

NW News on 03/04/2015

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