Dixieland development sent back to commission

ROGERS — A rezoning for a development to build 49 residential units off South Dixieland Road was sent back to the Planning Commission on Tuesday.

City Council members voted unanimously to send the project back to the commission for a reassessment of the proposed distances between buildings, the front property line and the road.

The rezoning would move the property at 1704 and 1710 S. Dixieland Road from agricultural zoning to residential multifamily zoning.

Plans for the proposed residential development north of the intersection of Dixieland and New Hope roads include the construction of duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes.

The proposed distance between the development’s front buildings and the property line facing Dixieland Road is 4 feet — a requested reduction from the 30-foot setback required by city code.

The setback would begin around the back of the nearby sidewalk, according to John McCurdy, director of community development. The plan would work out to an estimated distance of 18 feet from the building to Dixieland Road, he said.

The 30-foot requirement may be outdated, according to McCurdy. Though the front setback would be “tight,” there are a few buildings on Dixieland Road that are relatively close to the road, he said.

City engineers did not think the setbacks posed a particular safety concern, he said.

City Council members April Legere and Barney Hayes said they were not comfortable with the proposed distance from the road.

Two residents from nearby homes spoke against the project at the meeting, citing concerns about the setbacks as well as drainage, traffic, privacy and incompatibility with the surrounding area.

Multiple residents expressed similar concerns at a Jan. 17 Planning Commission meeting, where the rezoning was postponed after commissioners asked for additional buffering near the outside of the property. Developers presented a revised landscape plan at a Feb. 7 commission meeting, including the addition of 12 trees near adjacent residential properties and a privacy fence along the western and southern borders, saying they visited with residents from neighboring properties about attempts to buffer the development.

“While they couldn’t make everyone happy, they said they got several to agree to this plan,” commissioner Steve Lane said at the meeting.