FARMINGTON -- The City Council voted 6-2 Monday night to rezone 5.65 acres at 65 Double Springs Road from an R-1 zone to an R-3 zone, a higher density designation for single-family homes.
Council members Diane Bryant and Shelly Parsley voted against the request to rezone the land. Those in favor of it were Keith Lipford, Linda Bell, Bobby Morgan, Brenda Cunningham, Sherry Mathews and Abby Spinks.
In other action, the city council:
— Appointed Bobby Morgan as vice mayor for 2019.
— Approved contracts from Earthplan Design Alternatives for stormwater compliance and floodplain administration.
— Approved an ordinance to vacate the unused water line easement running from the north end of Bonnie Lane to Main Street.
— Passed a resolution establishing procedural rules for the City Council for 2019.
— Reappointed all members to the planning commission: Bobby Wilson Jr., Toni Lindsey, Jay Moore, Chad Ball, Judy Horne and Robert Mann.
This property will be the first land in Farmington zoned R-3 since the council approved the new zoning classification in October 2017. An R-3 zone allows zero-lot lines on one side of a house with a minimum lot size of 5,400 square feet.
The council placed the rezoning request from D&B of Northwest Arkansas on first reading at its December meeting.
Bleaux Barnes with D&B spoke on behalf of the request, along with the firm's attorney, Wade Williams, at the December meeting. Barnes told the council his intent was to develop a subdivision of single family homes, not to build row houses or zero-lot-line houses.
Barnes said a "Bill of Assurance" would be attached to the development as a commitment to meet certain standards. The subdivision also would have restrictive covenants. The "Bill of Assurance" shows houses would have a minimum of 1,700 square feet with 75 percent masonry, a roof with architectural shingles and two-car attached garages.
Barnes said D&B is proposing a residential development, called Engles Park, with 24 lots and a detention pond for stormwater drainage. The preliminary plans show most of the lots are 0.12 acre or 0.13 acre with nine larger lots.
Prices for the homes would be around $215,000 to $225,000.
Neighbors living in Northridge Subdivision next door spoke against the rezoning request in December.
Mayor Ernie Penn opened the discussion on the rezoning request with a review of the developer's comments from December and a review of the concerns by the residents and others.
He asked if anyone at the meeting had additional information that would apply to the discussion.
Barbara O'Brien, who lives in Northridge Subdivision, did not approach the podium but responded, "I think you know where we stand, the fact it's being rezoned and who knows what could happen with that."
The neighbors' concerns included additional traffic on Double Springs, a higher density subdivision, quality of life and how the new development would affect the value of the homes in Northridge.
Penn said Monday he thought the value of the homes would remain with the Bill of Assurance and restrictive covenants attached to the new development.
Last month, council member Keith Lipford said he wanted time to look at subdivisions with smaller, narrower lots and homes that are built closer together.
Monday, he said he had seen some of these type neighborhoods and the effect of narrower lots was less than what he thought it would be.
"I would never choose it, but I don't think it made the houses less valuable," Lipford said.
Penn added that the cost of land and cost of development have risen so high that smaller lots with nice homes are being built in many situations to make the projects financially feasible.
He said it probably was not his "cup of tea" but some, such as millennials, are preferring these type homes with smaller yards.
Diane Bryant asked who would maintain the detention pond in the future.
Barnes replied that the developer is in charge of the detention pond until it is handed over to a property owners association. For his projects, Barnes said, he uses a third-party firm to maintain the detention pond for two years. After that, the POA can decide to do it on its own or hire the same person to continue in that role.
After the meeting, O'Brien said, "It's been a long fight."
She has addressed the City Council or Farmington Planning Commission multiple times about the same piece of land. In May 2017, she, along with other residents, opposed a request to rezone the land to multi-family. She also opposed a request to rezone the land to R-3 from another developer in December 2017.
"It's been a process and I've learned a lot. It's been very eye-opening," O'Brien said, adding she and other residents have learned a lot about community government and participation.
O'Brien said she is worried that this will set a precedent for other land-locked areas in Farmington.
"We'll see what happens," she said.
General News on 01/16/2019