Gift Shop Idea Being Reviewed
Morningstar Road Rezoning Request Approved
Last updated Tuesday, May 16, 2006 10:04 PM CDT in News
By Kristin Netterstrom
The Morning News
BENTONVILLE -- A gift shop plan for a downtown home is temporarily on hold after a Bentonville Planning Commission meeting Tuesday.
A Realtor for the Fayetteville woman interested in buying the Victorian-fashion home asked the application for a gift shop conditional use permit be pulled until she could talk further with her client.
Joana Garrison of Fayetteville said last week she wanted to buy 306 N. Main St. and rent it out as a residence for two years before opening a high-end gift shop in the home. She was out of town Tuesday.
Sherry Littrell, Garrison's representative and a Coldwell Banker Faucette Real Estate agent, said Tuesday she thought Garrison might have some interest in a bed and breakfast. She wanted to make sure before going further with the gift shop request, Littrell told commissioners.
Gift shops and bed and breakfast businesses both require a conditional use permit to operate in a residential-office zone, which the property has. A conditional use request allows people a certain amount of time to operate in a structure before returning to the city for further approval.
Garrison said last week she wasn't interested in a bed and breakfast, believing a gift shop would allow more people to enjoy the home.
Regardless, planning commissioners questioned whether there would be adequate parking for customers at the home. Littrell said the property had enough room for vehicles, especially if a back-yard pool were filled in.
The 3,990-square feet house, built several years ago by Jeb and Jeneane Ball, was modeled after historical homes dating back 100 years.
Commissioners pulled the permit and did not vote on the matter. Several residents attended the meeting to express opposition to the commercial use near their homes and the traffic it could bring.
The home is near Compton Gardens, which will be the trailhead for a future trail linking downtown to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
In other business, commissioners approved a 20-acre rezoning request with little discussion.
When Tetra Investments first requested the change from agricultural to duplex/patio home zoning, Bentonville planners had concerns about higher density projects away from the city's core. Developers are chasing cheaper land, further away from city infrastructure, which stresses the city's ability to provide infrastructure, planners have said in the past.
However, city planners were out of town on National Guard duty Tuesday and commissioners didn't carry forward any concerns expressed at past meetings. They unanimously approved the rezoning request and a preliminary plan for the property at Morningstar and Windmill roads.
Tall Oaks Development is developing the property, which will be known as Cascades subdivision, while Tetra Investments owns the property. The plan shows 57 duplex lots.
The approval is contingent on the property annexing into Bentonville from the county. Developers will be responsible for making improvements to the roads adjacent to the property.
Commissioners also approved:
• A new Landers Nissan dealership on Moberly Lane in the Covington subdivision. The dealership will cover 4.54 acres
• A preliminary plat for Arbor Springs subdivision, a 30-acre mixture of multi-family and commercial uses being developed by Obert 2, LLC.
• A rezoning request and preliminary plat for 3209 S. Walton Blvd. Josh Kyles requested the property be rezoned from agricultural to general commercial, and it will be developed commercially.
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