Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Commission OKs third vendor at park

- MELISSA GUTE Melissa Gute can be reached at mgute@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWAMelissa.

BENTONVILL­E — The outdoor vendor park across from Lawrence Plaza on Northeast A Street will have a third tenant after a Planning Commission vote Tuesday.

Priato Pizzeria and Sweet Dream Creamery operate at 211 N.E. A St. Commission­ers unanimousl­y approved a third vendor to set up shop on the same lot.

The vendor is to be announced, according to the applicatio­n to the Planning Department. Michael and Vickee Rice are the applicants on the planner’s staff report.

The request initially was to add two vendors. One was going to be south of Priato Pizzeria and another at the north edge of the property, just south of an alley.

Commission­ers and planning staff expressed concern during the technical review meeting Oct. 30 about the aesthetics of the back of the vendor facing people passing by in the alley.

They recommende­d the vendor to the north be moved to the south end of the property because there are more compatible adjacent uses.

Commercial uses exist to the south end of the property while single-family homes are to the north, said Jon Stanley, planner.

Having enough parking for employees was another issue discussed at the technical review meeting. A public parking lot with about 20 spaces is east behind the vendor park off North Main Street.

“It’s going to behoove those businesses to park as far away and leave those spots for customers,” Commission­er Scott Eccleston said at the technical review meeting.

The only discussion about the permit at Tuesday’s meeting was about the applicant changing the request to add one instead of two vendors.

A developmen­t plan will be required if any other vendors are added to the site, according to the permit.

The permit requires a sidewalk be along Northeast A Street in front of the vendor park.

Commission­ers also approved a permit for 1602 S.W. D St. to be used as a constructi­on office for the Osage Park developmen­t.

“The parcel is directly adjacent to the eastern property entry of (the) project and would have no adverse effect on adjacent neighbors,” Alison Jumper, project and design manager for Runway Group, told the commission in a letter.

Runway Group, a firm focused on developing quality of life initiative­s in Arkansas, is working on the 55-acre park and preservati­on project along with Ecological Design Group. The project is along Southwest I Street, north of the municipal airport.

It includes expanding Bentonvill­e Lake and boardwalks throughout the natural ecosystem. The northeast area of the site will have an aviation-themed playground, picnic area, hammock yard, music venue, multi-purpose lawns and a pavilion with restrooms.

Constructi­on activities will be between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to Jumper.

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