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Rogers City Council Approves Rezoning To Build Apartments

ROGERS (KFSM) — The Rogers City Council voted to approve the rezoning of about 20 acres in west Rogers from agriculture to multi-family residential. The v...

ROGERS (KFSM) -- The Rogers City Council voted to approve the rezoning of about 20 acres in west Rogers from agriculture to multi-family residential.

The vote was unanimous during a meeting Tuesday (Aug. 14).

A developer has presented plans to build an apartment complex on the land located along Dodson Road, next to the newly built Arvest Bank data center.

Neighbors who live around the property weren't entirely on board with the plans to add traffic to what some call an already congested area.

Andrea Klokow, acting president of the local property owners association, represented many of those homeowners Tuesday night.

"[The upset neighbors'] properties lie along Dodson Road and they have very real concerns that their property values could be impacted," said Klokow, following the vote.

"The ones who are right along what's about to become a five-lane road, they may be impacted negatively," Klokow added.

Bill Watkins, a Rogers attorney representing the builder, said the area in west Rogers is the best place to accommodate population growth.

"That area is the next growth corridor for Rogers," Watkins said. "That's the only other place Rogers can expand is to the west and even that's somewhat limited, but this area is the next one that's ripe for development and that's why this is happening in that place."

Watkins said the apartments will be rented at full market value and will be geared toward professionals and families.

"The operative number is somewhere between 33 and 34 people a day are moving to Northwest Arkansas," Watkins said. "A lot of those people work at Walmart and for the vendors that support Walmart and they need a place to live."

Now that the rezoning proposal has passed, Klokow said she hopes the city and the builder will work with nearby residents.

"We are hoping to work with them to make sure it does get improved when they put in this new development, and also that the city moves Dodson Road up higher on their priority list," Klokow said.

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