Greenland annexation bid approved

405 acres includes site of proposed amphitheater

FAYETTEVILLE — Greenland won approval Thursday to annex 405 acres, including the proposed site of an amphitheater that would seat 15,000 or more.

Washington County Judge Joseph Wood reviewed the city’s plans at a 10 a.m. public hearing attended by at least 16 people. Wood ruled the annexation bid met all legal requirements.

A waiting period of 30 days must pass before Greenland’s City Council can vote on the annexation, county attorney Brian Lester told the audience. This waiting period is to allow for any appeal of Wood’s decision to circuit court, Lester said.

The annexation briefly appeared to hit a snag when Lester said it appeared to create enclaves, or islands, of county jurisdiction within the city. That’s specifically forbidden by state law, he said. City officials gave Lester and Wood a copy of an email sent by the Arkansas Geographic Information Office stating the state right of way for Interstate 49 was never annexed into Greenland along the portion of the area involved. That right of way links the areas that appeared to be islands to the rest of the county outside of Greenland’s proposed city limits.

Mayor Bill Groom also said during the hearing the city hopes to put another annexation measure on the ballot in the future to close gaps and square the city’s boundaries.

“If there are any loose ends, we’ll tie them up,” Groom said after the hearing. “We will know by the time of the election what the loose ends are.”

The land to be annexed is west of I- 49 and Campbell Road, south and east of Arkansas 265 and north of Smokey Lane.

Who’s making plans for the proposed music venue wasn’t disclosed at the hearing. Investors are in discussions with Doyle Reynolds, a property owner and longtime area resident who owns 305 acres of the proposed annexation area where the venue would be, city officials said.

Sue Madison, a Washington county justice of the peace, and area resident Rose Diaz raised concerns during the public comment period of Wood’s hearing. Both said they were concerned about traffic and access to any such venue and what impact development could have on the rural nature of the area. Diaz also argued there was too little public notice for such a large expansion.

All the landowners involved agreed to annex their property into the city, officials told Wood. A public hearing was required only because one landowner didn’t have clear title to 100 percent of his land. State law allows 80 percent of the landowners to annex in an area if they own 80 percent of the land. That procedure requires a public hearing.

Adell Ralston, another area resident, spoke in favor.

“Our community desperately needs new growth,” she told Wood. “We’d be foolish not to take this opportunity.”

Danny Wright, Greenland city attorney, told Wood this would be Greenland’s first annexation since 1986.

The Northwest Arkansas region has seen music venue proposals before, including the long- discussed Osage Creek amphitheater near Siloam Springs. That private project was planned, partially built and discussed for 10 years, from 2004 to 2014, but never completed.

Groom said earlier he doubts any construction on a venue would start until spring, assuming the project develops.