Food truck plaza planned near Centennial Park in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE -- Cyclists will be able to drop in for a bite on their way to the in-development Centennial Park.

The Planning Commission on Monday voted 8-0 to approve a development plan for a food truck plaza, parking and trail connections off Shiloh Drive, north of Millsap Mountain. Construction is underway at the mountain to build soft trails at Centennial Park, which will serve as host to the 2022 Cyclocross World Championships.

Jacob Shy with CEI & Associates said Trails on Shiloh will have a 10,000-square-foot lawn, a gravel lot where food trucks will sit, trails, a paved area for cars to park, two driveways, detention pond and landscaping. The entire site is about 10 acres.

"This development's really going to be catered toward the cycling community," Shy said. "It's really meant to serve as an extension of sorts to Centennial Park and what's going to happen there in the future."

Initial plans for the park showed 17 miles of mostly soft-surface trail weaving through the mountain, along with children's play areas, places to picnic, a canopy walk, stage and a spot for hammocks. It is scheduled to open in time for the 2022 cyclocross championship event.

Cyclocross is akin to mountain biking, involving short courses with obstacles, hills, steps and rough terrain prompting riders to get off their bikes to run for certain parts and get back on.

Commissioner Kris Paxton said the food truck plaza serves as a unique use for a difficult-to-develop area.

"I'm really excited to see a connection that will bring the park to life a little bit and allow a place for people to go and park and maybe enjoy the mobile vending at that location," he said.

In other business, the commission approved 7-0 a rezoning request for 17 acres south of 15th Street, west of School Avenue, for the planned Sanctuary at SoFay development.

Developers behind the project said they wanted to build a mixture of residential and commercial uses to serve the south part of town and complement the nearby Arkansas Research and Technology Park.

David Snow, interim vice chancellor for economic development at the University of Arkansas, said he met with the development team and praised the project's vision of a live, work and play environment.

"I'm delighted to see this plan," Snow said. "This aligns directly with the sense of place we'd like to create."

Five residents joined the meeting, held online via Zoom, to speak against a cluster housing development proposed west of Garland Avenue, between Janice Avenue and Deane Street. Neighbors said five proposed homes for a .32-acre lot is too much, and cited issues with drainage, cut-through traffic and concerns over declining property values as reasons for the commission to deny the requested use permit.

Commissioners voted 6-2 to grant the permit. Under city code, the cluster housing use requires more stringent regulations over drainage, street improvements and tree preservation than if the property owner built under the current zoning without the permit, several commissioners said.

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Commission action

Fayetteville’s Planning Commission met Monday and approved:

• An addition of 20 single-family lots to the Brooklands at Mountain Ranch subdivision, north of Millsap Mountain.

• Giving the city’s long-range planner the go-ahead to audit the 2004 downtown master plan and make any recommendations for changes.

Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette

Stacy Ryburn can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @stacyryburn.

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