Rogers residents’ suggestions help change street plan

ROGERS — Suggestions by residents were used to change the recently revised street plan.

The Planning Commission reviewed the suggestions, which were relayed by Community Development Director John McCurdy during the commission meeting Tuesday afternoon. The commission voted to recommend the changes to the City Council for approval.

The city created a new draft of the street plan based on growth that has widened roads until they can’t be widened anymore, McCurdy said. The original street plan was laid out grid-based like the patterns established by Thomas Jefferson. Several annexations on the city’s west side made it complicated to keep following that system, he said.

“We’re running out of real estate,” McCurdy said in a presentation to the Planning Commission. “Going forward the only feasible solution is the one we’re proposing, which is alternative routes, many small roads.”

The south, southwest and northeast parts of the city are limited by terrain and developments, he said. The updated plan accounts for that and continued growth on the west side.

Several meetings with the public resulted in changes to the plan.

An arterial alignment on Dodson Road, which goes into Stoney Brook Road, planned to be connected to Northgate Road, but McCurdy said the city decided against that project based on the input they received from residents.

Other projects, such as one on the eastern corridor, will be rerouted around neighborhoods.

One street planned to connect to Wallis Road on the western side of the city will follow an existing route, however, rather than go around a neighborhood of six or eight houses, McCurdy said. The decision was based on an economic comparison of the two paths.

An extension of 13th Street to Concord and down to Laurel and Price Lane was moved based on feedback from the nearby Fellowship Bible Church, which wasn’t interested in the project as it was presented in the revised street plan.

“With the new route, we can avoid Dixieland the whole way, that change didn’t hurt much,” McCurdy said. “I think that was a pretty effective change.”

Other changes were smaller, such as making names of roads consistent across the map. Pleasant Grove is one of those.

Resident George Sayer spoke in favor of the new changes and applauded removing a road that went through the bike park. He requested one more change.

“I would suggest considering another bold move,” Sayer said. “Put a route east of Lake Atalanta even though it goes by old, expensive homes. Go down Oak Street and go as close as you can to the lake and into Highway 12. One thing it would do is to relieve traffic on Highway 12.”

Commission Chairman Don Spann reminded those present the plan is “not cast in iron.”

“It’s a guide, it shows intent going forward,” Spann said. “We have to have this looking forward. It’s an important thing for our city.”

McCurdy agreed and said the map is merely to manage growth, not a final word on all projects. Community development will still work with developers and shift street plans when necessary.