Venue granted extension for outdoor music

FAYETTEVILLE — A venue south of downtown will be allowed to have live outdoor music for another year.

The Planning Commission on Tuesday granted Prairie Street Live an extension of its permit until November 2020. The commission originally granted the venue a threemonth trial run in August.

Since then, the city’s planning staff has received one complaint from a neighbor east of the venue, said Jonathan Curth, senior planner. Police recorded two calls of complaints on different days in October, but only one in which a noise ordinance violation was found, he said.

Jason Bigbee with Event Services Consulting, representing the venue at the meeting, said that one instance was a discrepancy in the sound level between a band switching over to a disc jockey. The commission ended up discarding a planning staff recommendation to require a lower sound decibel level for the venue.

The commission adopted a condition to review the permit again if the city receives at least three documented violations of the noise ordinance over the course of the year. The commission will be able to renew the permit again after the year is over.

Commission Chairman Matt Hoffman said he trusted the city’s noise ordinance to help keep complaints to a minimum.

“I certainly wouldn’t support revocation of a conditional use based on one documented violation,” he said. “I would support revocation based on a series of documented violations.”

Bigbee said the venue is looking into building some type of sound barrier to catch sound facing east.

In other business, the commission tabled until Nov. 25 a preliminary plan for 26 single-family lots at Markham Hill, west of Razorback Stadium.

A representative with Specialized Real Estate, the company behind development of the area, requested more time to address tree-related issues.

Eleven residents spoke, most of whom expressed concern about trees along Cross Avenue, between Halsell and Markham roads. The preliminary plan included on-street parking spaces in place of some of the trees.

Commissioners also discussed the U.S. 71B Corridor Plan, which is set to go before the City Council next month. The plan would usher rezonings with development regulations for both sides of the corridor, Planning Director Andrew Garner said. The city has $10 million in bond money to do work along the stretch.

Angela Belford, Fayetteville Housing Authority executive director, gave the commission a presentation on wording and aspects of the plan dealing with housing and homelessness.

The commission will include a summary of its comments and those of Belford in a recommendation to the council.