Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development Waivers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council grants multiple waivers for sidewalks, ROW dedications tied to local developments
Summary
Springdale City Council approved several waivers and modifications to street and sidewalk requirements—covering Ford Avenue Flats ROW dedication, individual home/duplex sidewalks on Huntsville Avenue and Oveiro/Overeo Circle, Panda Express site, and Haberton Trails—most by unanimous 8-0 votes.
Springdale — On Sept. 23 the Springdale City Council approved a package of street‑improvement waivers and related options affecting several developments, including a right-of-way dedication waiver tied to Ford Avenue Flats, sidewalk-width adjustments for single-family homes and duplexes on Huntsville Avenue, a Panda Express site, and the Haberton Trails subdivision. Most motions passed unanimously, 8-0.
Sharon Traumberg, director of planning and community development, explained the Ford Avenue waiver: “This waiver is just for that future collector on that west side of their site, not anything for Ford Avenue.” She said engineering staff recommends dedicating the right-of-way but not constructing the collector at this time; the council adopted the waiver while requiring the ROW dedication.
On individual projects, planning staff told council that Oveiro (transcript variably recorded as Oveiro/Ovaro/Overeo) Drive and neighboring lots lack sidewalks; planning commission recommended a waiver for one single-family lot so it would not be required to build a 5‑foot sidewalk where neighboring yards have none. Two duplexes on West Huntsville Avenue requested reduced sidewalk width from a 10‑foot arterial requirement to a 5‑foot sidewalk with a small green strip because utilities in the right-of-way would make a 10‑foot sidewalk costly and require utility relocations; council approved modified option language to allow a 5‑foot sidewalk.
The council approved a waiver for a Panda Express site on Highway 71 to retain an existing 5‑foot sidewalk rather than upgrading to a 10‑foot section. For Haberton Trails, engineering staff recommended keeping an existing 8‑foot sidewalk instead of upgrading to 10 feet because the 10‑foot location would create a joint at bicycle lane alignment that could risk pedestrian safety; the council approved the waiver on that recommendation.
What the council did: motions to adopt each waiver or waiver option passed on recorded votes noted in the minutes as carry 8-0 or carries 8-0. In the case of the two Huntsville duplexes, the motion specifically modified option language to permit a 5‑foot sidewalk.
Details and constraints: planning commission had previously recommended approval of the sidewalk waivers (typically 8-0 votes at planning commission). Traumberg said the Huntsville duplex sidewalk requests were prompted by extensive utilities in the 10‑foot right-of-way that would make relocation costly; planning and engineering staff have permitted narrower sidewalks in prior similar cases.
Next steps: Developers and property owners will proceed with building permits subject to the approved waivers; engineering and planning staff will document required easements and options in the permit files.
