BENTONVILLE -- Officials are looking for feedback on the Bentonville Community Plan, which will guide the city's growth.
City leaders will have an open house for residents from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the public library. Plan information will be displayed for review. City staff members and planning consultants will be available to answer questions and collect feedback.
Open house
The open house is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Walmart Room in the public library at 405 S. Main St. The plan is available online at www.bentonvillear.c…. A survey to respond to the concepts in the plan is also available online at hla.fyi/BentonvilleInput.
Source: Staff report
A meeting for city officials, including the City Council and Planning Commission, is set for 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday in the Walmart Room of the library.
There'll be a short presentation then discussion, said Shelli Kerr, planning services manager.
"They'll take it chapter by chapter," she said.
Residents can attend the afternoon meeting, but time will not be allotted for public comment, Kerr said.
Houseal Lavigne Associates, a Chicago-based planning, urban design and economic development firm, created the plan with information collected through workshops, surveys, interviews and meetings with various people.
The plan will serve as a guide for elected and appointed officials, city departments and developers for the next 15 to 20 years, according to the city. It establishes policies related to land use and development, transportation and mobility, community facilities, open spaces, environmental features, and image and identity.
The city is operating under a 2007 plan.
John Houseal, co-founder of Houseal Lavigne, has said from the beginning of the process community input will be the key to the plan's success.
"The idea is that at the end of the process, when we roll out the plan, anybody in this community should be able to pick it up and say 'I can see my fingerprints on this,'" he said in July 2015.
The firm began collecting information in 2015. Officials anticipated the plan would be completed in 18 to 24 months, but progress was put on hold so Houseal Lavigne could develop downtown neighborhood zoning districts, according to Danielle Semsrott, the city's senior planner.
Downtown zones needed attention quickly because development was happening fast and the previous zoning code was antiquated, failing to meet development needs, officials said.
Staff changes in the Planning Department and at Houseal Lavigne also contributed to the delay, Semsrott said.
The plan will cost $448,223. About half is being paid for with a $200,000 Walton Family Foundation grant.
The plan is available to review on the city's website as is a survey where people can provide feedback.
The plan is set to go before the Planning Commission on Sept. 4 and the City Council on Sept. 11 if major changes aren't needed after this month's meetings.
NW News on 08/06/2018