Planners Vote To Rezone Land To Correct Error

FARMINGTON — Farmington Planning Commission approved the preliminary plat for a new subdivision west of North Hunter Street at its April 27 meeting but since that time, city staff has found it made an error in the zoning designation for part of the land.

Commissioner Chad Ball wondered at the April meeting if all of the land was already zoned R-1, single family residential. Ball said it appeared some of it was still zoned agricultural.

City officials assured him it was all zoned R-1, but since then discovered that was not the case.

To correct the error, a rezoning request was on the agenda for the Planning Commission’s May 25 meeting.

Pitts Dynasty Trust #3 submitted a request to rezone 105 acres west of North Hunter Street and northwest of Watson Street from agricultural to R-1. The commission unanimously approved the request, which now goes to Farmington City Council for final approval in June.

No one from the public had any comments about the rezoning request.

Planners voted in April to approve the preliminary plat for Summerfield Subdivision, Phase 1. The first phase has 55.25 acres with 117 lots for single-family homes, according to Charles Zardin with Jorgenswen and Associates engineering firm.

Some of the land for Phase 1 was already zoned R-1. The rezoning request before the Planning Commission included land in Phase 1 and the rest of the land that will be used for future phases.

Melissa McCarville, city business manager, said the land had to be rezoned for the project to move forward.

According to the preliminary plat, the subdivision will have three entrances from North Hunter Street: Watson Lane, Wilson Street and a new street in between called West Spokane.

As part of the plan, the city agreed to waive payment for parkland dedication in exchange for the developer making off-site street improvements, including sidewalks, curb and gutter, and storm drainage on the west side of North Hunter.

Sherry Mathews, a City Council member who lives on North Hunter, addressed the commission last week about the improvements. She said her lot is steep in the front and she has three trees. She wondered how the improvements would affect her property.

After some discussion, it was decided the best way to explain the improvements would be for someone to meet Mathews on site to answer her questions. McCarville said she would set up a time for Mathews and commission members to meet on North Hunter.

In other business, the commission talked at length about how to fill a vacancy on the public body. Commissioner Toni Lindsey has resigned because she’s moving from Farmington.

The city received applications from the following eight residents interested in serving on the planning commission: Keith Macedo, Brady Ghan, Norm Toering, Kevin Gardenhire, Bret Ward, Wendy Burrus, Jason Henry, Timothy Yopp.

Each applicant will be asked to submit a resume and then invited to the June 22 commission meeting. Applicants will be given one minute to introduce themselves and tell why they are interested in serving. Planners would have four minutes to ask questions.

A recommendation will then be made to Mayor Ernie Penn. In the past, Penn has asked the City Council to ratify his recommendation to fill vacancies on the Planning Commission.

The commission discussed several other topics, though they were not on the agenda.

Commissioner Judy Horne said she would like for the group to discuss the city’s development code on how subdivisions are designed. Horne voted against the Summerfield preliminary plat last month because she didn’t like the way some of it was designed.

Horne also said she believes the planning commission needs to increase some of its application fees. For example, she said the city charges a $25 fee for a rezoning application. Fayetteville charges a $325 fee for a rezoning application, Horne said. Other examples, she added, are $75 for Gentry, $150 for Siloam Springs and $35 for Prairie Grove.

Ball added to her comments, saying he believes the commission should look at all development fees during a work session.