Planners Suggest Zone For Mixed Use

FARMINGTON — Farmington Planning Commission has been discussing a new zoning designation for the city for many months and last week voted to send a proposed ordinance to the Farmington City Council.

“I think it’s a good project to move forward for the elected officials to consider,” said Robert Mann, commission chairman.

The commission held a public hearing on the proposal at its July 22 meeting but no one came forward with any comments or questions.

The ordinance would add a Planned Unit Development district (PUD) as another zone for consideration for property owners and developers.

The City Council’s Aug. 12 agenda will include the proposed ordinance to amend the city’s zoning ordinance to add the new designation.

The Planning Commission has had plans for almost a year to diversify its zoning, said Chad Ball, a member of the commission. He said the panel decided that instead of adding different types of specific

zoning designations, a Planned Unit Development would be a good way for the city and developers to work together on different types of projects.

A Planned Unit Development zoning district would be a separate zone that allows different uses on a piece of land without a developer having to go through the process of a rezoning request for each use.

The proposal gives two purposes for a PUD zone:

To achieve a more functional and aesthetically pleasing plan that assures compatibility with all existing and future surrounding land uses.

To permit the subdivision of land and zoning review into one process. The combination review permits a development proposal to be acted upon simultaneously by the developer and the city.

According to the proposed ordinance, the intent of the new zone is to facilitate and encourage social and community interactions and activity for those who live there, provide open space to benefit the community and public, preserve and enhance natural features and native vegetation, allow a creative approach to land use and encourage an efficient use of the land.

PUD regulations would allow small- and large-scale developments to be incorporated into a single plan that could have a variety of residential, commercial and related uses that are part of one unit brought before the planning commission.

Melissa McCarville, city business manager, said the new zone would allow Farmington to be “more flexible.” Now, developers can only pick one zone for a parcel of land. Farmington doesn’t allow for mixed development on that parcel, McCarville said.

The proposed 12-page document details general eligibility and phasing requirements for developers requesting land to be rezoned as a PUD district.

The minimum area for a PUD is four acres, and a final plan approved for a PUD is binding on all subsequent owners of the land until it is revised or repealed as authorized by the ordinance. The proposed uses and locations in a PUD must be appropriate to protect, enhance and conform to surrounding land uses.

The ordinance also has requirements for landscaping, screening, parking, off-street parking and open space.

It allows for phasing in a development but requires documents and plans to show the entire ownership of the land and requires the applicant to adhere to an approved development schedule. Each stage has to be self-sufficient and not dependent on later stages.

The PUD application and review process would have three parts: a pre-application conference with city staff, preliminary development plan review and a final plat.

The intent of the conference with city staff is to provide guidance to the applicant before the developer or owner spends a lot of money on the preparation of plans and other work that’s required for the preliminary development plan.

The preliminary development plan requires a completed application, $1,000 non-refundable review fee and a description of the objective of the development and why it’s needed.

In many instances, developers would have the same checklist as far as requirements that come under other zoning designations in Farmington.

For example, an applicant has to notify adjacent property owners, provide proof of the notification and publish a notice in the newspaper about a public hearing on the rezoning request.

The site plan has to include information on flooding areas, preliminary grading plan, proposed utilities, proposed and existing streets, rights-of-way, and easements, number of units for residential development, floor area designated for non-residential use, location of existing and proposed sidewalks, common areas and a preliminary drainage plan.

Developers or landowners who want to request a PUB zone have to submit all information up front on how the land will be developed under the new zone, McCarville said.

“That gives the planning commission a sense for what the final product would look like,” she said.

The final plat will be approved as a whole or in phases by the Planning Commission and the City Council.

Though no one spoke at the public hearing, the commission has received comments about the proposal from area developers. Springdale’s planning director met with the commission during a work session to discuss Springdale’s PUD process.

Ball said he and McCarville did some initial work to see how PUDs work in cities of comparable size in Arkansas. He said he considers Harber Meadows in Springdale the “gold standard” for a planned unit development in Northwest Arkansas.

“When you gather five to 10 different types, you start looking at what’s good, at what’s a challenge and then you bring it to the Farmington filter and see what’s the best process,” Ball said. “I think we have a pretty good process.”

Ball said he likes Farmington’s PUD ordinance because city officials and the developer can talk in the first stage. They get together and talk about each other’s expectations.

“Then it goes to the Planning Commission with public comment and then it goes to the council with public comment so you’re getting a lot of feedback, a lot of mediation for a zoning that might not be traditional. When you increase that communication, the development will end up being what’s best for the community and best for the developer,” Ball said.