A vacant property on Northwest 3rd Street near Coler Mountain Bike Preserve was back on the Planning Commission’s agenda Tuesday night after a previous development plan for the site fell through.
A rezoning of 2.5 acres of the approximately 3.5-acre lot at 1600 and 1602 NW 3rd St. from residential estate to low-density single-family residential (R-1) was unanimously approved. The rest of the property is already designated R-1 — as are the subdivisions located on all sides.
In November, a different rezoning request for the site to develop the proposed Echelon project was rejected by the City Council. The rejected proposal would have allowed for a slightly higher density than R-1, with a plan from developers to include some townhomes — although it still fell in line with a low-density designation.
The Echelon project had seen considerable opposition from residents in surrounding neighborhoods, with dozens of neighbors showing up and speaking against the development at multiple City Council and Planning Commission meetings.
This time, three neighbors spoke in support of the new rezoning, which matches the zoning of their neighborhoods.
“We think this zoning is appropriate,” said Beth Keck, a nearby resident who headed up the opposition to the previous rezoning request.
Keck asked the developers how many houses they had planned for the site.
“We don’t have a definite plan yet,” but that it would fit within the zoning designation “just exactly the way it should,” said Bob David, co-founder of Leadership Properties of Northwest Arkansas.
The rezoning next heads to City Council for final approval.
Thaden Gym
A planned gymnasium for the Thaden School was put on hold after planning commissioners voiced concerns about its design. The developers had requested five waivers to the city’s zoning and land development codes.
The large-scale development was removed from the agenda Tuesday night to allow for the developers to revise the plan.
The proposal for Thaden Gym, at the Southwest corner of the campus, is for the facility to be over 17,000 square feet and just over 32 feet tall, according to a city planning staff report.
