FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Fayetteville City Council has a long list of items to address at its meeting at City Hall on Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. In fact, Mayor Lioneld Jordan has called for a special meeting on Nov. 12 to "accommodate an unusually large number of items on the agenda."
On the top of that list is an appeal to a large-scale development on South Nelson Hackett Boulevard and amending the Urban Corridor Plan to add protections to single-family zoned districts.
The Fayetteville Planning Commission approved the 138-unit Urban Lofts complex on Sept. 23, which is a Downtown Master Plan area and part of the 71B Corridor Plan.
An appeal was filed against the approval on Oct. 1 after a resident shared their concerns with Council Member Teresa Turk.
The resident was worried about the large complex posing dangerous traffic issues and negatively impacting the neighborhood's quality of life.
Council Member D'Andre Jones filed the appeal with Turk and Council Member Bob Stafford as co-sponsors. Any sponsors of an appeal are not allowed to vote.
The rest of the council will either deny or confirm the appeal to the planning commission's approval.
An amendment to the Urban Corridor plan, which was submitted by Turk, is looking to enact new protections for single-family zoned districts.
"I've been very concerned that these houses, these single-family residential houses, that are right next to the Urban Corridor boundary, you know, they are not overshadowed by a potentially eight-story building in the future," Turk said to 5NEWS before the vote. "We are only allowing a 15-foot setback up to their property line, and so an eight-story building that's like 80 feet tall would really impact their quality of life."
This amendment is also related to the Urban Lofts complex.
"Residents along North College Avenue (including the Washington-Willow Historic District and Wilson Park neighborhood) and along Nelson Hacket Boulevard and South School Avenue deserve the same buffer and protection from eight-story apartment or office buildings that residents adjoining all six of our multi-family districts, Urban Thoroughfare, Residential-Office, Neighborhood Commercial, Thoroughfare Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional zoning districts now enjoy," the legislation text says.
If a development exceeds two stories and is adjacent to a single-family district, the amendment would require that building to be farther away than the 15-foot distance that is required in the original legislation.
Other business that will be addressed
Urban Forestry Management Plan
An item to approve and adopt a new 10-year Urban Forestry Management Plan is also on the agenda. The goal of the new plan is to increase Fayetteville's current 39.4% of overall tree canopy cover to 40.6% over 10 years.
With this goal in mind, the new plan would set a flexible goal of planting 1,850 trees each year.
"With the city's rapid growth and the evolving landscape of urban forestry, this updated management plan comes at a critical juncture, poised to guide the next decade of the city's tree-focused initiatives," the memorandum said.
Drug Task Force funding
The council will decide to authorize the acceptance of a State Drug Crime Enforcement and Prosecution Grant for the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force.
If approved, the council would accept $533,067 to go toward the Drug Task Force. The approval would also come with a budget adjustment.
According to the memorandum, the funding would lower local agency expenses to 8.6%. Here's how the funds will be distributed:
- Fayetteville: $337,436
- Springdale: $71,154
- Washington County: $70,757
- Elkins: $53,720
Amendments to police department's policies
The council will either approve or deny amendments to the following Fayetteville Police Department's policies:
- Unlawful and Improper Bias-Based Profiling/Policing Prohibited
- Domestic Abuse
- Use of Force
- Secondary Employment
- Disciplinary
- Matters & Awards Procedures
- Canines
- Juvenile Operations
- Emergency Response Team
- Next of Kin Notification
- Property Management, Acquired and In-Custody
Deadhorse Mountain
A resolution to approve a master plan for 220 acres on Deadhorse Mountain Road will also be on the agenda. The property is jointly owned by Fayetteville, the Watershed Conservation Resource Center, and Beaver Water District.
For the full agenda, visit the City of Fayetteville's website.
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