BENTONVILLE — The City Council will consider selling almost half an acre downtown to ERC Holdings at 6 p.m. today at the Community Development Building, 305 S.W. A St.
The property is at 401 S.W. A St., just south of the Community Development Building, and was formerly Bill’s Automotive. ERC plans to build a 64-unit multifamily housing development on the site, said Rob Coleman with ERC Properties.
At A Glance
New Ordinance
An ordinance the City Council approved earlier this month on door-to-door sales goes into effect Aug. 9. The solicitation ordinance is available on the city’s website at www.bentonvillear.com.
All residents will receive a “No Soliciting” decal in their August utility bills to post at the entrance to their homes if they do not wish to be disturbed by solicitors. Additional decals or yard signs can be obtained a the Bentonville Police Department or at the Utility Billing Department at City Hall. The decals are free, but yard signs cost $5 each.
Solicitors must obtain a permit from the Bentonville Police Department. The ordinance doesn't apply to charitable, religious or political groups.
Source: City Of Bentonville
The company is also working to purchase an adjacent property, Coleman said. The development will have an urban feel and won’t look like typical suburban apartment complexes, he said.
The city purchased the property in September 2010 for $260,000, according to City Planner Brian Bahr. The property, since being in city hands, has served as a construction headquarters for street improvement projects and is an open greenspace. The city plans to sell the land to ERC Holdings for $275,000.
An appraiser with the Benton County Assessor’s Office said the property was last appraised in 2010 at $198,800.
Council members also will consider an agreement with Garver Engineers to complete improvement with the Arkansas 12 Improvement Project. Mike Churchwell, city transportation director, said $46,000 will cover a traffic light at Bright Road and Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard, revisions to agreements regarding city utility easements and construction support.
The city plans to team up with the Bentonville School District and Benton County to complete improvement to Windmill Road from Morningstar Road to Southwest H Street. The city will pay for material; the county will provide labor and equipment and the School District will provide engineering, surveying and staking.
The project will include at 30-foot wide asphalt roadway with turn lanes at Morningstar Road, Bright Road and Southwest H Street. The street will not include curb and gutter so it can be widened to five lanes when traffic volumes increase, the agenda says.
The estimated cost of material for the project is $790,996, which would be paid for through the bond program for street improvements.
The city hopes the road will be substantially complete by November and fully complete in February, Churchwell said.