Commission OKs subdivision

FAYETTEVILLE — A subdivision with 135 lots is on track to join an existing neighborhood, golf course and possible paddle park on the southeast edge of town.

The Meadows at Stonebridge will sit on 53 acres east of Dead Horse Mountain Road. The Stonebridge Meadows golf course abuts the property to the east, with Combs and White River parks to the west. The Riverwalk subdivision sits in

between, west of Dead Horse Mountain Road.

The Planning Commission on Monday approved 8-0 a preliminary plan for the Meadows at Stonebridge subdivision with 135 lots for single family homes. Commissioner Matt Hoffman was not present.

Commissioners made a few changes to the initial proposal before approving, including moving the placement of street stub-outs, fees in lieu of park space and reducing the number of fire hydrants required.

Tom Hennelly with Crafton Tull, representing landowner ERC Holdings, said developers made a number of concessions from the original vision of the project.

A plan to extend a 40-footlong trail to Dead Horse Mountain Road was revised after city planners determined it essentially created a dead-end, Hennelly said. Making the leg a public street triggered a number of added expenses, he said, such as street trees, extending water lines and parks money in lieu. The commission ultimately softened some of those requirements.

“We feel like we’ve been pretty amenable to all the different requests,” Hennelly said. “There’s only so many lots we can get out of this

thing to offset those.”

Some discussion centered around the development being potential suburban sprawl with little-used sidewalks, since it’s located so close to the edge of town.

Andrew Garner, city

planning director, pointed out the Riverwalk subdivision across the street with a trail connection to the parks at the West Fork of the White River.

“We’re asking for a lot of infrastructure that the developer’s going to pay for but ultimately the city’s responsible for maintaining in years to come,” Commissioner Zara Niederman said.

Several groups coincidentally are looking into creating a paddle park in the area and restoring about 8,000 linear feet of water on the river.

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in January stressed support for the ambitious project, which would require tearing out the Pump Station dam. Nothing concrete on the project has been submitted to the city.

In other business, the commission tabled a variance to city code that would allow construction of three front-loaded, two-unit residences in the 200 block of South West Avenue near the library.

Two homes, constructed in the early 1900s, currently sit on the lots.

Developer Mark Rouse said he envisioned something similar to his homes on North Desoto Place, behind Ozark Natural Foods.

The structures feature prominent lighting and rooftop terraces overlooking the Brooks-Hummel Nature Preserve.

Commissioners took issue with the driveways being in front of the building, which wouldn’t promote walkability in a pedestrian area downtown, they said.

Rouse said the design was meant to avoid having to cut down trees near Frisco Trail.

The commission will again take up the proposal and any changes made during its next meeting.