BELLA VISTA -- Aldermen on Monday waived normal voting procedures to approve two ordinances related to lot split requests from Cooper Communities Inc.
Aldermen voted 5-0 to approve an easement dedication for a lot near Buckstone Drive, which was split from a parent tract Cooper owned and is now being developed into a residential property by a third-party owner, applicant Gene Groseclos said.
The City Council also voted 5-0 to approve a land swap between Cooper and the Property Owners Association regarding a parcel at Tanyard Creek owned by Cooper and another parcel on Dogwood Drive owned by the association.
Alderman Allen King was absent. Groseclos said he normally requests aldermen suspend rules requiring an ordinance be read three times before a vote for "routine matters." He added that without swift action from the council, construction could be delayed for the property at Buckstone Drive.
The Tanyard Creek parcel is roughly one quarter-mile east of Nature Trail Lane and Arkansas 340 and includes the Tanyard Creek Practice Center. The Dogwood property is an empty lot near the 10th and 18th fairways of the Bella Vista Country Club.
Earlier this month, Groseclos told the Planning Commission that Cooper intends to terminate its lease with the association outright and convey the property.
The POA voted 5-2 in April to approve the swap. Board members Dave Barfield and Bob Brooks voted against it, according to meeting minutes.
In April, Cooper proposed building a new subdivision on its two Dogwood lots, which were then separated by the now-swapped parcel.
The project required a variance, but was voted down April 15 by the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Cooper was seeking a variance to adjust setbacks for approximately 25 homes.
The units are each about 2,000 square feet and resemble the houses found in the Garden Villas at Cross Creek in Rogers, according to Jody Latham, president of Cooper Land Development Inc.
The homes would be built on a cul-de-sac splitting from Dogwood, which Cooper also would build. The outside of the homes would be of brick construction and include a small courtyard, sidewalk and limited common property that is similar to townhouses around Bella Vista, Latham said.
Cooper wanted a variance that "would more closely conform to adjacent townhouse development(s) not possible with the existing (residential single-family) zoning," according to its application.
Latham said Monday's approved land swap will not have any impact on proceeding with the Country Club Villas project.
Planners also approved a lot split request from Cooper regarding a parcel near Buckstone Drive. Cooper sought to transfer the property to a third owner, who wants to build a residential dwelling, Groseclos said.
Meanwhile, an ordinance intended to tie the compensation of elected officials to pay percentages of city employees was removed from the council's agenda prior to Monday's meeting.
Aldermen Jim Wozniak and Frank Anderson spoke against the proposal at the council's June 17 work session. Wozniak said he would vote against the ordinance if it came up for a vote. Anderson said that the ordinance removed public insight and made it seem as if the council was using "backdoor" tactics.
The ordinance was proposed by Alderman Larry Wilson, who asked to have it removed from the agenda for further review, according to staff attorney Jason Kelley.
NW News on 06/23/2015