Planners review Country Club Villas’ final plat

Final plat of the Country Club Village subdivision came before the Bella Vista Planning Commission work session on March 2.

Senior planner Jennifer Bonner said that the new subdivision, located on Dogwood Drive, has been in the works since 2015 and was originally started in 2014. At this point, she said, it’s nearly finished, and the city is ready to go through the final plat process.

Bonner said that the developers, Cooper Communities Inc., and the company’s contracted engineering firm, CEI Engineering Associates Inc., have been working on addressing the 17 staff comments, many of which had to do with drainage. The majority of these comments, she said, were fairly minor.

“We have made great strides,” she said.

Zach Moore, a drainage engineer with Garver Engineering, was brought in to examine this subdivision-in-progress.

“Some things out there do concern me,” Moore said. “I feel like I would like to see these comments addressed.”

In one instance, he said, a pipe is sloped the wrong way, which could cause water to flow incorrectly. Moreover, he said, some culverts are 12 inches wide, rather than 18 inches — widely seen as a minimum.

Tom Oppenheim with CEI said that 18 inches could actually be too large, because it would sit too low in the ground.

“So they’re sized based on the need, not that minimum,” he said. “And keep in mind these are driveway culverts and not road culverts.”

Moreover, Oppenheim said, other comments should be corrected. The pipe sloping in the wrong direction, he said, has been reset, for instance.

Chris Suneson, director of the Community Development Services Department, said that sidewalks would also be bonded as part of the permit, which would save the cost of adding sidewalks, which then get torn up in construction and have to be rebuilt.

Daniel Ellis, the commission’s chairman, said that it did seem like most issues had been handled, and at this point are primarily waiting on confirmation.

“I know there’s a lot of comments, but they seem like mostly minor comments,” he said.

The commission also discussed lot splits on Huntley Lane and Fletcher Road.

While a discussion of electing officers was on the agenda, there was very little discussion in part because only four members were present — chairman Daniel Ellis, vice chairman Doug Farner, and members Theresa Neal and Don Robinson — and in part because the commission still has a vacancy, as does the Board of Zoning Adjustments and the Board of Construction Appeals.

People interested in these positions can stop by the Community Development Services office at 616 W. Lancashire Blvd. or call the department at 479268-4980.

"I know there's a lot of comments, but they seem like mostly minor comments." Daniel Ellis commission chairman