Two developments move forward in Rogers

ROGERS — The Planning Commission on Tuesday approved two large-scale developments, including a car dealership and townhomes.

The proposed Everett car dealership would be at 4510 W. Poplar St., while the Ninth Street Townhomes would be at the northwest corner of South Eighth Street and West Banz Road. Both items are scheduled to go before City Council for approval June 22.

The dealership will include the construction of a 20,000-square-foot building and paved parking lot on 6 acres zoned for open commercial display.

Commission members denied a request from the dealership for a waiver from the requirement of having a narrow tree island with a tree every 15 parking spaces or 30 feet.

The commission approved a waiver to the requirement to provide trees every 20 feet on the buffer that faces the highway, citing the number of trees on other areas of the property.

A variance to the required number of parking spaces for automotive services was also approved, since the business is focused on sales rather than service.

The proposed Ninth Street Townhomes would include 11 five-plex multi-family buildings, five six-plex multifamily buildings and a retention pond on 8 acres in the residential multifamily zoning district.

Commission members approved a waiver to allow the minimal width right-of-way for proposed streets in the development to exclude the parking areas while maintaining connectivity through a sidewalk. The proposed development will have perpendicular onstreet parking on both sides of the streets, with the required 5 feet of green space and 5-foot sidewalk on the inside of the parking spaces, according to a letter from Blake Murray, project engineer.

In other business, the commission asked Caliber Collision to bring landscaping designs back next month to clarify the business’ request for a permit for a car repair business. The business would be on 3 acres on the east side of South Bellview Road and the south side of Ajax Avenue in the highway commercial district.

The commission previously denied the request in April.

The property owners appealed with additional information to City Council in May, said City Planner Ethan Hunter. At the time, the council decided the additional information should be presented to the Planning Commission, he said.

During a public hearing Tuesday, Bill Watkins of JW Partners showed the commission detailed maps and photos of how the property would be used. Because the property is zoned highway commercial instead of open display commercial, the commission can have much more control over the design and footprint of the proposed business, he said.

Watkins said the business is part of a national chain and would have a stamped concrete wall around it to prevent sounds and sights from bothering neighbors. The location of the property makes it difficult to develop any other way, he said.

Public hearings about a proposal from Montero Farms to rezone half an acre between 618 and 620 N. Fourth St. to neighborhood transition; a proposal from Porch Dog Properties to rezone 2.9 acres at West Persimmon Street and North Sixth Street to neighborhood transition; and a request for a conditional use permit to allow a daycare at 2703 N. 13th St. garnered little discussion. The requests were approved.

A request from Joe Hewgley Inc. to rezone 0.7 acres between West Olrich Street and South Ninth Street from the neighborhood residential zoning district to the highway commercial zoning district was tabled so property owners could work with city staff to address their concerns.

A request from Orale Inc., for a permit for a nightclub at 1902 S. Eighth St. was withdrawn by the property owner.