Bentonville council delays lot rezoning

BENTONVILLE — The City Council tabled action on a downtown rezoning to allow area residents to speak on the matter in person.

The council met remotely using a video link Tuesday, as it has during the covid-19 pandemic.

The council voted 6-2 for the indefinite delay over the objections of council members Bill Burkhart and Chad

Goss. Burkhart objected that the public had opportunity to be heard.

A video link was available from a podium at city hall, the council had received a number of objections by email and objections were also made earlier at the city planning commission, he said.

Council members Octavio Sanchez who made the delay motion and Cindy Acree who supported it argued the city’s residents have a right to meet with the council face to face in a matter attracting so much opposition. Acree and others pointed to the volume of dissent. The council’s agenda material for the meeting included copies of at least 15 emails objecting to the rezoning.

The matter for consideration was rezoning a 0.28 acre lot at 502 NW 3rd St., between the street’s intersection with NW D Street on the east and Lefors Street on the west. Owner Stratford Assets requested a rezoning from R-1 to DN-1.

Either designation would allow construction of a single-family home but the DN-1 designation would allow any building on the lot to be closer to surrounding structures, allowing a bigger home.

The rezoning received a city Planning Commission recommendation in a 6-0 vote May 5.

“Our downtown neighborhood is one of the only [ones] remaining that has large lots, old canopy trees and a quiet park-like setting,” resident Lucy Kelley wrote in her April 5 email to the Planning Commission. “We would like it to remain that way. Not every neighborhood downtown needs to be dense.”

Tuesday’s council’s vote came after Acree and other members discussed having future meetings in person so long as social distancing guidelines were respected. “Surely we can sit 6 feet apart,” Acree said. That would allow residents to come in a few at a time and face council members directly, she said. Doug Thompson can be reached by email at dthompson@nwadg. com or on Twitter @NWADoug.