ROGERS -- Planning Commission members Tuesday approved rezoning 5 acres on West Pleasant Grove Road from the agricultural zoning district to the neighborhood residential district, despite concerns raised by neighbors.
Those concerns will be addressed during later planning stages, according to commissioners.
Property owner Leadership Team, LLC, plans to use the land to build the Villas at Scissortail subdivision, according to representative Jennifer Watkins of Sand Creek Engineering.
The city's Community Development department recommends approval of the request, according to city planner Ethan Hunter. The request is consistent with the comprehensive growth map and is appropriate for the location, he said.
Tuesday's meeting was the second public hearing about the property. The first took place Aug. 3, when neighbors also spoke against the rezoning request. The commission did not consider the request at the time because of a notification issue.
On Tuesday, five residents spoke against the rezoning request, citing concerns about destruction of trees and natural habitat, increased traffic on West Pleasant Grove Road creating unsafe conditions for children crossing the road at Evening Star Elementary School, and lack of notification.
Resident Jennifer Gerhardt said she was concerned about the destruction of established, healthy trees along the back of her property, as well as loss of property value associated with the privacy the trees provide. She also raised concerns about a proposed road connecting the new subdivision to her gated subdivision.
Gerhardt said the traffic on West Pleasant Grove Road is already a "nightmare," with traffic backed up to Highway 112 during school drop-off and pickup times. Cars have nearly hit children on several occasions at the elementary school crossing, even with flashing lights and a Rogers police car there, she said.
Resident Meredith Khrone said she was aware the land would be used for a subdivision when she bought her home on adjoining property, but said she is concerned about the number of houses the developers plan to put on the property, as well as their plan to strip trees along the property line.
Khrone said as a pediatric nurse practitioner, she is especially worried about the safety of children at the crosswalk to the elementary school.
"The most common reason children are hurt or killed when they are young are an accident like that," she said. "It is not worth putting as many houses as you can cram on that 5.05 acres of land for that subdivision or that development. I'm totally fine with building back there; please, just do it respectfully and keep these things in mind."
Resident Alec Ginsburg said a property owner made a public social media post stating the commission's meeting was Aug. 24, and that he had not received written notice of the meeting.
Watkins said the subdivision is still in the planning stages. The current concept exceeds the city's requirement for the minimum number of trees. Developers will also have to plant more trees along the road to meet developer's requirements, she said.
Watkins said that notifications were certified and sent out, although she was not sure of social media posts. The proposed subdivision will not exceed the city's density requirements and will be no more dense than the subdivisions around it, she said.
The issue of what will be built on the property, including the number of houses and trees, will come before the commission at a later time, said commission chair Mandel Samuels.
"What we are looking at tonight is strictly a rezone request," he said.
The developers met all requirements for public notification, Samuels and Hunter said.
Kevin Jensen, a commission member, said he doesn't want the public to think the commission is taking the concerns about trees and traffic lightly. The subdivision's location next to the school does make sense and may even reduce traffic because children will be able to walk to school, he said.
"We will certainly be addressing the issues when this comes back through with a more complete design," he said.
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Other actions taken:
• Approved a request to rezone 0.21 acres at 421 W. Cedar St. from the residential duplex, patio home zoning district to the neighborhood transition zoning district.
• Approved a request to rezone 1.49 acres at 2003 N. Second St. from the highway commercial zoning district to the light industrial zoning district.
• Approved a request to rezone 2.53 acres northwest of the intersection of West Banz Road and Eighth Street from the agricultural zoning district to the open display commercial zoning district.
• Approved a conditional use permit for Doggie Style’s Grooming & Boarding to allow animal boarding and grooming.
Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette