Gentry planning commission recommends new residential zone

Officials approve two special use permits and final, preliminary plats

GENTRY — After three public hearings, the Gentry Planning and Zoning Commission, at its regular meeting on Thursday, approved two special use permits and approved a final plat, a preliminary plat, and recommended the creation of a new RN-residential neighborhood zone and the rezoning of a portion of the city to the new RN zone.

After a few residents commented in favor of a new neighborhood residential zone and added concerns about fences and truck parking, the Commission voted to recommend to the city council the creation of the new proposed RN zone that allows for smaller lots and has smaller setbacks but has the other restrictions of the current R1 (residential zone). The concerns over parking and fences are or will be addressed in other parts of the city code.

The new zone is being recommended, in large part, because of residential properties located between N. Railroad and N. Collins avenues and north of Arkansas Street and south of McKee Drive that are currently zoned R-3 (residential but allowing for multi-family housing) and RO (residential/office). When construction of a multi-family unit began in the area, residents voiced concerns that the area, with many historic Gentry homes, not become filled with multi-family rental units.

The city council in Gentry, at its Nov. 2 meeting, held off on a rezoning ordinance to change the zoning of the above properties to R-1 (allowing only singlefamily residential homes) but passed a 180-day moratorium on new building permits within the area (effective on Dec. 2) for anything but R-1 construction to allow time for the planning and zoning commission and the council to come up with a zoning plan to reserve the area for single-family homes.

The reason for the moratorium instead of the rezoning ordinance originally proposed by the planning commission is that numerous properties within the area are on lots narrower than R-1 zoning allows. Passage of the ordinance would have restricted property owners from making major improvements or from building single-family housing units on those properties. The 180 days was to allow time for the city to come up with a zoning ordinance that will preserve the area for single-family housing but not restrict lot owners from building homes on vacant lots or prevent major remodeling or renovation projects to existing homes.

The matter of rezoning the area from R-3 (which allows multifamily units) and RO (which allows for residential and office use) was brought before the planning commission and council by a petition signed by 65 residents of the affected area following the start of a fourplex housing unit in the area. The group initially asked that the area be changed to R-2 but agreed that R-1 would be better (except for the lot-size restrictions).

James Ferguson and Barry Jarnagan, property owners in the affected area, addressed the council in November 2020 saying they were OK with the moratorium as long as a zoning change followed in a timely manner to preserve the historic district for single-family housing and prevent it from becoming an area where historic homes were torn down and replaced with

multi-family rental units.

The commission, in February, discussed setbacks for the new RN zoning designation because many of the lots are too narrow for the R-1, single-family residential zoning setbacks. Instead, the commission is recommending setbacks from the property lines of 15 feet in front of a home and 10 feet on each side and in the back of homes. Uses allowed will be the same as in R-1 zoning.

Before the new zone can be created, it will need to be sent to the council and passed on three readings by the council. Then, once the zone is created, the Commission is recommending that the properties between N. Railroad and N. Collins. from the north side of Arkansas Street to McKee Drive be rezoned to RN by the council.

In other action, the Commission approved a special use permit for Eric Holland to use a commercially zoned property located at 121 S. Nelson Avenue for a custom cabinet shop under the name of Radius Woodworks LLC and to dissolve residential use on the property.

Also approved was a special use permit to allow Philip Merworth to build two triplexes on the east corner of Crowder Avenue and Arkansas Highway 12. Crowder Avenue is the new northsouth street that continues on the south side of Highway 12 from WPA Road.

A final plat was approved for Phase 2 of the Grand Estates Subdivision, located in the 1600 block of W. Main St., with the stipulation that missing covenants be provided.

A preliminary plat was approved for Pioneer Woods Subdivision, Phase 3, on land owned by Paul Church in the 600 block of West Seventh Street. The plans call for 59 new lots for housing units.