Prairie Grove Seeks Annexation Along Bypass

PRAIRIE GROVE — Prairie Grove’s polling place, First Baptist Church on Pittman Street, will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. for the city’s April 8 special election to annex land along the new U.S. 62 Prairie Grove Bypass.

Registered voters in the city limits and those who live in the annexation area can cast ballots on the annexation question, with the majority of all votes deciding the outcome. According to the Washington County Clerk’s office, Prairie Grove has 2,758 voters and the annexation area has 18 registered voters.

The city is proposing to annex about 823 acres along the bypass. The area is a strip of land on both sides of the bypass on the south side of town.

Prairie Grove City Council approved an ordinance Jan. 20 to call a special annexation election.

Mayor Sonny Hudson has said the city is seeking to annex the land to control growth along the highway and be ready for growth when it occurs.

“Any city would do what we’re doing,” Hudson said last week. “Cities try to go along highways. That’s the growth area.”

He added that he believes it would be a disservice not to pursue annexing along the highway.

“When a highway comes through and it’s just barely outside your city limits, it’s obvious that’s just what you do. I don’t know how long it will take for growth but the city needs to be out there. You know it’s coming eventually.”

A realtor’s “for sale” sign posted on property along the new highway is an example of why the council decided it was important to call an election to ask voters to annex the unincorporated land along the bypass, said Larry Oelrich, director of administrative services and public works.

“There are already property owners planning on selling land for commercial interests,” Oelrich said by email.

In addition, Oelrich said, property along the bypass in the city limits already has been rezoned from agricultural to commercial.

Both the county and city have planning and development guidelines but city officials have to look at what best serves the city, Oelrich said in an email to the City Council. He pointed out that the county does not require developments to comply with a building code, which means that anything developed outside the city limits could be built without inspection or potentially in violation of building, fire and electrical codes.

Oelrich said the residents in the annexation area would receive benefits if brought into the city. Residents would not have to pay dues to the Rural Fire Association and would have reduced water rates through the city, compared to rural rates.

The residents also would receive city trash and recycling services, reduced fire insurance ratings in some cases, better protections against neighboring nuisances and animal control.

Another benefit, Oelrich said, is service provided by the Prairie Grove Police Department. The Washington County Sheriff ’s Office typically has four or five deputies patrolling the entire county at a given time.

“The response times can be long in an emergency, compared to minutes by city police,” Oelrich said.

Oelrich acknowledged there are a few cons from the prospective of the property owners in the annexation area, such as specific requirements for burn permits, restrictions on shooting fireworks and requirements for construction permits.

Two property owners in the annexation area have expressed opposition to the city’s proposal, saying they do not believe development will occur along the bypass for many years and recommending the city wait on trying to annex the land. The property owners also were critical of the City Council for not reaching out to them and including them on the discussion to annex the land.

Hudson said he understands that some people would prefer to remain in the county. He said city officials have discussed for years that land along the bypass should be annexed but did not jump into it prematurely.

“We waited until just before the bypass was completed to do it. It’s a natural for any city to do. It’s the next step,” Hudson said.