Events center vote planned for Thursday

Maumelle commissioners to decide debated changes

The Maumelle Planning Commission plans to vote Thursday on changes to a previously approved events center that some residents have openly opposed – citing frustrations with lack of transparency and concerns for residents’ future safety.

Talks of expanding the events center follow a unanimous vote by the Maumelle City Council in January, which approved development plans for an events center that would host “weddings and small parties.”

If approved, the events center would sit in the middle of a plot of land located on the Maumelle Country Club property.

Prior to 2020, the area was described as an “Open Space” plot in terms of land use and zone.

Two years of conversations between the council and the planning commission eventually resulted in rezoning the area, allowing a developer to build residential property on the land.

Since then, plans for the land have changed once again.

Under the new development plan, parking capacity will jump from just over 300 allotted parking spots to nearly 500.

Parking for the event center is said to be generated through a shared-parking agreement with the country club.

The increase in approved square feet is unclear at this time.

Maumelle residents argue that the increase in traffic and events in the area pose a danger to those currently living near the future development.

One resident who requested not to be identified explained how residents in the neighborhood often walk the area late at night without worrying about heavy traffic or drivers unfamiliar with the area.

She added that nearly every resident she’s come into contact with has said they weren’t aware of the plans for the events center or the center expansion.

She also expressed that other residents are afraid there will be an increase in drunk drivers in their community following events hosted at the location.

In an interview with an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter, she noted that other residents have also complained about lack

of information on the development, adding that many in the community, including those within the Maumelle Country Club, are not being told about what is to come.

City Council Member Steve Mosley said, “It’s become a bigger and bigger deal over time.”

He added, “The city did not publicize this well. [Residents] weren’t even aware of the [initially approved] events center.”

Mosley added that only three notices of information have been sent out, one of them being to the country club, which caused the planning commission to defer the decision to late December.

He reiterated that the commission might approve the increase in square feet, but that they did not seem

comfortable with the suggested increase in parking capacity.

Other concerns from both commission members and residents highlight the lack of road structure and access to the area of the event center.

If the proposed expansion is approved by the commission, the motion for approval will then move to the council for vote.

The commission’s next meeting is planned for Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Maumelle City Hall Council Chambers, 550 Edgewood Drive, Suite 590.