Planners approve R2 zone on Hayden

Planning Commission members approved rezoning property at 2295 Hayden Road to R2, a residential zone which allows smaller lots than R1, at the regular meeting Tuesday, April 2. The property is currently zoned RE — residential estates.

There was one question from the public during the public hearing. Nicole Blood asked the plans for that property. She asked whether a mobile home park was planned.

Serving as chairman of the commission in the absence of the chairman, Dr. Karen Sherman said the city’s code does not allow a mobile home park there and said the question was for a rezone and did not specify the plans other than the property owners wanting smaller lots. Later in the meeting Shane Gibson, who lives on Hayden Road, asked about speed limits saying people “fly down” Hayden Road.

“What would I do to get the city to lower the speed zone,” he asked.

City planning director Jessica Grady told Planning Commission members she had a concept meeting with the property owners Nicole and Daniel Tillman who originally wanted to divide the property into four lots, but realized that many could not fit. She said there were not intentions of building multi-family residences.

During the discussion for the large scale development plan for Pea Ridge Commons, Phase 3, city attorney Shane Perry left the room as he has a conflict of interest.

One item discussed at length was signage, a subject that had been discussed with the engineer, Libby Topping, during the city tech review meeting.

“As I pointed out to you yesterday,” Sherman said, “there have been problems in other developments … after the fact.”

Sherman specified that the problem was not with this engineering firm but she said she wanted to avoid a similar problem.