Commission Approves New Subdivision Off Highway 170

FARMINGTON — For the first time in about two years, all members of Farmington Planning Commission attended their monthly meeting in person.

During the past two years, many meetings have been Zoom only because of covid19 concerns. Lately, some members have attended in person and others via Zoom.

Chairman Robert Mann commented that it was nice to see everyone’s faces at the March 28 meeting.

Mayor Ernie Penn has said the City Council and Planning Commission will have Zoom meetings in April, but beginning in May, meetings will only be in person.

The March 28 agenda included a new housing subdivision and the final plat for Wagon Wheel Crossing subdivision, Phase 1, located on Clyde Carnes Road.

The commission approved the preliminary plat for McDonald Subdivision, a single-family development on 5.65 acres off north Highway 170. The land is located on the east side of state Highway 170, south of East Wolfdale Road.

According to the agenda, the property was owned by City Council member Linda Bell, who sold it to McDonald Building Group for $230,000 in May 2021.

The preliminary plat shows the development will have 15 buildable lots and a 16th lot dedicated as a detention pond for storm drainage. The subdivision will be one street that ends with a cul-de-sac.

The property is zoned R-1, which requires a minimum of 10,000 square feet per lot. Most of the lots, according to the plat, are much larger than the minimum. The lot sizes go from 10,307 square feet to the largest, which is a lot with 21,669 square feet along the cul-de-sac.

The commission approved a variance for the owner. McDonald Building Group asked to have a variance from the required street improvements along Highway 170 because the city and Arkansas Transportation Department have plans to widen the highway in this area and install sidewalks and curb and gutter.

Melissa McCarville, city business manager, reminded the commission that similar variances have been approved for other developments along state Highway 170

The plat does not include land dedicated as a public park, so the owner will have to pay $600 per lot, or $9,600, in lieu of park land dedication.

No one made any comments about the preliminary plat during the public hearing on the plan.

Blake Murray with ESI Consulting Engineers of Springdale presented the final plat application for Wagon Wheel Crossing, Phase 1. Phase 1, located off Clyde Carnes Road, has about 75 acres and 84 buildable lots for single-family houses.

Murray said the owner, Riggins Commerc ia l Construction and Development, plans to create a neighborhood park, instead of paying money in lieu of park land. The company has purchased a strip of land on the south side of Farmington High School that will be used for the park.

The final plat shows Riggins plans to install a parking lot off Highway 170 to access the park, a paved walking or biking trail on the land and some picnic areas. The commission agreed to the park land with the condition that Riggins make the parking lot handicapped accessible.

In other action, the commission voted 7-1 to grant a variance for Logan Boudrey for a lot split at 12226 Clyde Carnes Road. Boudrey told commissioners he wanted to split off an 1.5 acre lot to provide a place for his brother to build.

Commission member Chad Ball voted against the variance because Boudrey’s request was not based on any “undue hardship.” City code requires the commission to look for a hardship when granting a variance, Ball said.

“I don’t see a hardship. You just want to do it,” Ball said, adding he has reservations about lot splits because subdivisions can be created that way without the improvements that are required under the subdivision ordinance.