Rogers planners approve rezoning

ROGERS — A proposed townhome development across the street from the Rogers Public Library got conceptual approval Tuesday night from the Planning Commission.

Plans for Pine Street Townhomes include 32 townhome units on 6.04 acres just north of the library parking lot and along the west and north sides of the Library Park on Pine Street.

Commissioners approved a rezoning of the property from the residential single-family district to the residential multifamily zoning district.

Four residents spoke against the project, expressing concern that putting a multifamily development in the middle of their neighborhood of single-family houses would drastically change the character of the area.

They also said they were worried the development would exacerbate current flooding and drainage issues in the neighborhood.

Phil Swope of Swope Engineering said the developers intend the townhomes to be owner-occupied and plan to work with city engineering staff on drainage issues during the development process.

Commissioner Steve Lane said that the rezoning request concerned a change in land use, not traffic and drainage issues.

Derek Burnett said he understood and sympathized with complaints about flooding, but that drainage would be addressed later during the large-scale development process.

Commissioners voted to approve the rezoning and send it to the City Council for approval.

Lane, Burnett, Rachel Crawford, Kevin Jensen, Mark Myers and Mandel Samuels voted for the rezoning. Jorge Andrade voted against. John Schmelzle was absent.

The commission also unanimously tabled a rezoning request for a proposed townhome development southwest of the intersection of West Easy Street and North 22nd Street.

Developers requested the commission table the rezoning after commissioners said they would not approve the request.

A denied rezoning requires the applicant to wait a year before resubmitting the request.

The tabled rezoning request will be considered again at the commission’s next meeting. The developer may return with a rezoning request for a considerably less dense development, according to Jason Ingalls with Expedient Civil Engineering, PLLC.

Plans for Patrick Place Townhomes included eight buildings, each consisting of five townhomes.

Jennifer Lawson spoke against the project, saying that the development would be out of place behind a neighborhood of houses and duplexes. Lawson also said the neighborhood already experiences issues related to accessibility for emergency vehicles and limited parking.

John McCurdy, community development director, said the city’s planning philosophy involves having a higher density of residents living towards the center of the city rather than the outside of the city.

The rezoning would not fit with the city’s development plan shown in the comprehensive growth map, McCurdy said.