Springdale officials look to improve city's aesthetics

NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANTHONY REYES • @NWATONYR Pedestrians walk on the Razorback Greenway along Park Street between Luther George Grove Street Park and Caudle Avenue in Springdale. The city has talked about and approved ordinances to improve the city’s aesthetics.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANTHONY REYES • @NWATONYR Pedestrians walk on the Razorback Greenway along Park Street between Luther George Grove Street Park and Caudle Avenue in Springdale. The city has talked about and approved ordinances to improve the city’s aesthetics.

SPRINGDALE -- City officials have increased their focus on the city's aesthetics during the past year and are seeing some progress.

Improving how the city looks has been the impetus behind multiple recent ordinance changes and discussions among aldermen and other city leaders, according to officials. Good aesthetics are important, because they can attract more businesses and residents to the city, said Mayor Doug Sprouse.

TIMELINE

The Springdale City Council recently approved these aesthetics-related items:

2015

• May 12: An amendment making it unlawful to use a trailer in a residential zone for storage of an inoperative or unlicensed vehicle; unsanitary or unsightly items; or materials, supplies, equipment or property used for a business that’s located elsewhere.

• April 28: An amendment requiring trash containers to be stored either in an area not visible from the front of the house or not projecting beyond the front roof line.

• March 24: An amendment giving owners of small apartment complexes the option of providing tenants with individual trash containers rather than having a large, common trash bin. The option requires a plan stating how the bins will be stored out of view.

• Feb. 24: An amendment creating the Ballpark Area/Southwest Springdale Overlay District. The document includes requirements for signs, sidewalks, parking and more near Arvest Ballpark. The overlay district’s regulations differ from those for the city in general.

2014

• Nov. 25: An amendment creating new rules for some automotive sales and service businesses, including requiring paved lots and some screening.

• Nov. 25: An ordinance allowing business owners to be charged a $1 fee when the city removes graffiti from commercial buildings. The fee goes back into paying for graffiti removal on commercial properties.

Source: Springdale City Council and committee meetings documents

"It's about your reputation," he said.

Ordinance changes concerning aesthetics often result from residents' complaints, said Alderman Kathy Jaycox. It can be difficult for someone to rent or sell a home if a nearby property looks bad, she said.

The city's trails are also allowing people to see parts of the city they hadn't seen before, Jaycox said.

"They were totally hidden," she said.

Jaycox has been on the Springdale City Council for 16 years and said aesthetics always has been one of her priorities in that position. People will pass through the city, but not stop and stay if the city looks unsightly.

"When the aesthetics are appealing, people will come," she said.

CITY EFFORTS

Jaycox attributes the recent interest in the city's appearance to the Community Engagement Division of the city's Public Works Department.

The division, which works with all types of properties in the city, was created in February 2014 and encompasses four city services: code enforcement, bulky waste disposal, recycling and graffiti abatement, said Missha Wagoner, supervisor of the division. Code enforcement moved between different departments prior to creation of the division. It was part of what is now the Building Inspection Department immediately before the division was created.

Creation of the Community Engagement Division gave officials and staff a greater ability to focus on aesthetics, Wagoner said. She has seen big improvements in the city over the past year. She gave the area of Park Street between Luther George Grove Street Park and Caudle Avenue as an example of a place that has improved over the past six months.

Among recent aesthetics-related items aldermen approved is an amendment to city code related to trailers on residential properties. The change, which aldermen approved May 12, states that trailers can't be used to store inoperative or unlicensed vehicles; unsightly or unsanitary items, such as garbage; or materials, supplies, equipment or property used in connection with a business that's located elsewhere.

Wagoner said the amendment was needed because city staff reported that after being cited for a code violation some residents would move unsightly items to a trailer. Because a separate ordinance regarding trailers didn't refer unsightly items, that was a way for residents to get around the regulation, she said.

Aldermen also have discussed regulating so-called "box" trucks on residential properties. A box truck has a rectangular cargo area, according to meeting documents.

The City Council considered an ordinance April 28 banning parking of box trucks at residences, but aldermen tied in their vote. Sprouse declined to vote and break the tie, saying at the time that he'd like to look at the issue further.

Jaycox said the ordinance needs to be studied because some people have no place but their own residence to park their box trucks. The issue was tabled at the May 18 City Council committee meeting.

Alderman Jim Reed voiced his opposition to the ordinance regarding box trucks at the April meeting. He said he'd like to see the parking regulation tied to home business permits or home office permits.

David Arthur, a resident in the southwest part of the city, said he agrees with making the city look better, but there has to be some give and take. Regulations also need exceptions.

"Too many regulations about anything is bad," he said.

EVERYWHERE A SIGN

Some city officials are concerned that too many business signs clutter the city's commercial corridors, and aldermen have discussed sign issues at multiple recent City Council committee meetings. The meeting June 1 will be devoted to the subject, Jaycox said.

Springdale has a sign ordinance, but it's general, Wagoner said. It regulates situations such as where signs can be placed and how many signs can be on a property.

The city's code of ordinances has sections regarding general sign requirements. Those include bans on signs attached to rocks or trees and signs located within 10 feet of a fire hydrant. Another section on specific types of signs has regulations for neon signs and billboards, for example.

Jaycox thinks it will be a difficult conversation when aldermen discuss adding or changing regulations on signs because opinions abound.

In general, overreach by government can cost businesses money, said Perry Webb, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce. However, he said he doesn't think this will happen in Springdale because the aldermen are "pro-business."

Webb said there must be common-sense regulation of signs.

"It's a balancing act," he said.

Most of the issues related to signs are along Thompson Street, Sunset Avenue and Robinson Avenue, which are commercial corridors, Jaycox said. There are numerous large signs and old signs, she said.

Eureka Pizza has a location at 1503 S. Thompson St. Rolf Wilkin, owner of Eureka Pizza, said more sign regulations can be frustrating for business owners because it can be expensive to replace signs.

However, sign regulations that improve aesthetics also benefit the community, Wilkin said. Incremental changes to the sign ordinance could help improve looks, he said.

"I always think of a sign as the smile of your business, so you want it to be as attractive as possible," he said.

Jaycox said aldermen discussed the sign issue "a while ago" but couldn't agree on much. For example, they talked about eliminating hand-painted signs, but couldn't agree on a definition of a hand-painted sign. A hand-painted sign could be stenciled on a window or sprayed on plywood with spray paint.

Aldermen did succeed in passing a regulation that no new billboards can be placed in the city.

"No more billboards was all we got," she said.

There are many longtime businesses in the city that have had their signs for a long time, Wagoner said. Officials need to be mindful of that, but also keep the businesses accountable to keep them looking nice, she said.

"I do think we need a new eye and a new look at our sign ordinance," she said.

RESIDENTS' ROLE

Every city ordinance has a level of interpretation, Wagoner said. Staff in the Community Engagement Division meet twice a week to talk so they are "on the same page." They want to be fair to the residents, community and city government, she said.

If a resident receives a citation and he and the division are at an impasse about interpretation that resident can go before the judge at Springdale District Court, Wagoner said. The judge can then rule on the interpretation.

"That overrules us," she said. "That stands."

Staff at the division can then ask the City Council to amend the ordinance to be more clear, Wagoner said.

City codes and ordinances, however, can only do so much, Sprouse said. Residents also need to take care of their properties without being forced to.

Jaycox referred to the "broken window" theory, and explained that something can fall into disrepair in a neighborhood, like a broken window. If the window isn't fixed and another window breaks and isn't fixed, soon the neighborhood looks like people don't care.

"If you own a piece of property, it's your responsibility to maintain it," she said.

NW News on 05/24/2015

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