Alexander Planning Commission to hold rezoning hearing and Special Meeting this Thursday

The City of Alexander Planning Commission has scheduled a rezoning hearing for a nearly one-acre vacant lot in the old part of the city. The hearing is to allow residents to provide input on whether the lot at 13411 E. 1st Street should be rezoned from R-1 Single-Family to R-2 Multi-Family. The lot is in the block surrounded by E. 1^st Street, A.C. Wallace Street and E. 2^nd Street. Property owners within 300 feet of the property have been notified by mail of the rezoning request.

The development is being proposed by Heritage Homes & Development of Central Arkansas. The plan is to build three one-story buildings that will provide a total of 14 units. A five-unit apartment building will face E. 1^st Street, a seven-unit building will face A.C. Wallace Street and a duplex will face E. 2^nd Street.

The hearing is scheduled for this Thursday, November 15, 6 PM in the courtroom at city hall. Jonathan Hope, of Hope Consulting in Benton, will give a presentation explaining the development and answer questions.

Following the hearing, or starting at 6:15 PM, the planning commission will discuss the rezoning proposal and whether to recommend to the city council if the rezoning request should be approved. Only the city council can approve rezoning property.

Another issue is also on the planning commission’s agenda for that meeting. Hale Steel is preparing to build offices at the corner of East Azalea and South Alexander Road. Robert Hale will be presenting drawings of the proposed development.

The plan is to place an office building on the front-half of the property, affectionately known by long-time residents as “The Pit.” The back-half already has a metal building, constructed in 2013, to store equipment. Hale Steel is known for the construction of metal buildings.

Hale Steel has submitted a building permit request to the city. However, there is a question concerning zoning.

When what is now known as South Alexander, formerly Woodland Hills, was annexed in 2006 the planning commission at the time, and Mayor Shirley Johnson, never followed up with a new zoning map to cover the expanded city.

Prior to the annexation Woodland Hills was under the control of Saline County. But, counties in Arkansas don’t establish zoning districts, therefore, there is no automatic transfer of zones from county control to municipal control.

One solution being presented to planning commission members is a proposed ordinance that would establish zoning districts, in what was Woodland Hills, based on the bill of assurance written for each piece of property by the developer Charley D. Martin. A bill of assurance covers many aspects as to how a developer wants the property he sells to be used in order to maintain the vision of the development. One of those design aspects is whether property is intended for residential or commercial use. The proposed ordinance has been sent to the city attorney for review.

The planning commission has been working on a new zoning ordinance that will replace the current regulations approved in 1982. A new zoning map will be included that will establish districts based on current use. The zoning ordinance was sent to the city attorney for legal review last month. Commissioners expect to begin working on the zoning map in December or February.