Lowell planners hear baseball center plans

LOWELL -- The Lowell Planning Commission heard preliminary plans for a baseball training center for youths during a regular meeting Monday.

The project could include one baseball field and an 11,000-square-foot training facility, said Joe Orr, an engineer with Blew and Associates of Fayetteville. He said the indoor facility will include batting cages and a pitching deck.

Orr said the center will be called The Sand Lot.

Planning commissioners had some questions about the project during the meeting.

James Milner said he would like to see more parking for the project. The project was presented with 24 parking spots.

"We don't have any facilities like this so it is hard for us to compare," Milner said. "But I don't feel you have enough."

Orr responded that the facility doesn't need as many parking spots because it will not be used for games. He said parents would be dropping children off and not staying long.

"A disaster would be someone trying to park on the road in this area," Milner said.

The project could be located on a lot south of the West Monroe and Spring Creek Road intersection if approved.

Lowell Fire Marshall Nolan Jones also requested an additional entry be added to the plans. He said trucks would be unable to pull around in the parking lot.

"It would be a dead end," Jones said. "They would have to back out."

Jones said a truck also could have trouble entering the lot if it was full.

Orr asked if it would be possible to have a gravel entryway for emergency response vehicles.

Jones said the city prefers a hard surface for emergency trucks.

The meeting was the first of two large-scale developments have to attend before the commission votes on approval. Orr did not have a timeline for when the project could start if approved.

Representatives for Kum & Go also attended the meeting to inform the board they would be withdrawing a request for a larger sign.

Kris Sullivan, Lowell Planning director, said the company no longer needed to make the request because it was discovered city code allowed for the sign they were requesting. She said the code allowed for signs up to 30 feet near Interstate 49.

Signs can be as high as 30 feet in the area where Kum & Go sits at 816 W. Monroe Ave., Sullivan said.

Dale Bennett, Claude Neon Federal Signs account executive, previously asked the commission to approve a 35-foot sign for the convenience store. He withdrew the motion after hearing criticism from the commission who though the code restricted to 10 feet high.

Sullivan said officials decided to lower the sign to 30 feet after learning city code would allow that height.

The request for the larger sign was made after the company learned the Highway Department could be using the easement its current sign sits on, Bennett previously said. He said moving the current 10-foot sign closer to the parking lot could obstruct traffic flow on the property.

NW News on 10/06/2015

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