Heights neighbors ask Planning Commission to enforce Landscape Design Overlay after multiple alleged violations

Stacy Fletcher, speaking for the Heights Neighborhood Association, told the Planning Commission on Sept. 11 that since the Heights Landscape Design Overlay District became law in 2019, “50 plus houses have been built or under construction that violate the Heights Landscape design overlay regulations.” Fletcher asked the commission to press city enforcement agencies to apply the overlay consistently.

Fletcher reviewed the overlay’s origin and citations: the Heights Landscape Design Overlay District was added to the City of Little Rock code by Ordinance No. 21787 in October 2019 and appears in code sections 36–434.46 through 36–434.51. She said the board of adjustment has regularly granted variances that allow builders to circumvent overlay requirements and that the building codes division has issued certificates of occupancy despite alleged violations.

Planning staff acknowledged the concern and said the department has taken steps to address enforcement. A staff member told the commission the landscape-review position had seen some turnover and that the department has hired a landscape specialist and will begin a targeted review process for landscaping compliance. “We are addressing it in the sense that now, I believe starting Monday, we will have a review process just for landscaping requirements,” staff said, and added that staff is checking the list of properties referenced by the neighborhood association.

What’s next: The Heights Neighborhood Association asked for coordinated enforcement among Building Codes, Planning and Development, Parks, and the Board of Adjustment. Planning staff said they would follow up by reviewing the submitted list of properties and ramping up landscaping-compliance review; the transcript does not record a formal enforcement action or schedule.