Prairie Grove voters Tuesday night approved annexing 800 acres of land to the city.
In a special election, the annexation proposal passed 84 votes (55 percent) to 70 (45 percent), according to the Washington County Election Commission.
The land is located in the southern border of the city. According to Larry Oelrich, public works director, the area is around the Highway 62 bypass that’s under construction.
If voters had rejected the proposal, the 800 acres would have remained as an unincorporated area of Washington County.
Oelrich said the city expects businesses to open once the bypass is complete.
“Anytime there’s a new highway, there’s usually growth that accompanies that new highway location,” Oelrich said. “We’re looking at being proactive and trying to bring that into the city so that we can plan properly, extend utilities properly and be prepared for anything that might happen in the future.”
The Highway 62 bypass is expected to be complete by this summer. Oelrich said 18 people live in that area.
5NEWS reporter Jocelyne Pruna spoke to residents before the vote:
