Council grants a package of six sidewalk and street-improvement waivers for single‑family and large‑scale projects
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Summary
Planning staff presented six waiver requests for street improvements and sidewalks on multiple properties across Springdale; the council granted each waiver (option 1) by recorded votes of 7-0 and recorded project-specific commitments for right‑of‑way dedication or future re-striping.
The Springdale City Council approved a package of six waivers of street-improvement requirements for single-family homes, large-scale developments and redevelopment projects after Planning Commission recommended approval in each case.
The waivers (all granted with “option 1” as recorded by council) included requests for:
- A single-family dwelling on Kelly Road (W25-16) — the Master Street Plan designates Kelly Road as a Collector requiring an 8-foot sidewalk; the adjacent lot had a prior sidewalk waiver and Planning Commission recommended granting the waiver for the new single-family home. Vote: 7-0.
- A single-family dwelling on Shoreline Drive at 201 Shoreline Drive (W25-17) — the lot sits at the end of a dead-end street near the Fayetteville city line; Shoreline is shown as a local road requiring a 5-foot sidewalk; Planning Commission recommended option 1 and the council carried the waiver 7-0. The property owner noted a walking trail behind the house.
- UAMS Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center large-scale development (W25-18) — the project’s reapproval under a new master street plan changed a planned collector cross-section to a commercial street section, which added a bike-lane requirement. Planning staff said the applicant will stripe the new Mary Frances Lane as a collector section for now (two travel lanes and a center turn lane) and the city will restripe for on‑street parking or otherwise upgrade the section as future development warrants; Planning Commission had approved related variances. Council approved the waiver (bike lane exemption) 7-0; staff said the developer dedicated additional right of way for future use.
- A single-family dwelling on Nichols Road (W25-20) — Nichols is a local road, and the Master Street Plan requires a 5-foot sidewalk; Planning Commission recommended option 1 and the council carried the waiver 7-0. Planning staff noted the owners worked for years to obtain approvals and access from Arkansas Game and Fish to enable development.
- A single-family dwelling on East Wagon Wheel Road (W25-22) — the parcel was rezoned to SF-2 recently; East Wagon Wheel is an arterial requiring a 10-foot sidewalk for its frontage (about 320 feet); Planning Commission recommended option 1 and council carried the waiver 7-0. Staff said no arterial widening is planned in the next five to ten years.
- Reliable Poultry expansion at Huntsville Avenue (W25-23) — the company has made consistent site improvements and agreed to dedicate additional right of way on Huntsville while seeking a waiver for a 10-foot arterial sidewalk because East Emma frontage was previously improved to city standard; Planning Commission and council approved option 1 and the council carried the waiver 7-0.
Planning staff answered council questions about whether Mary Frances Lane will become a public street in the future (it is planned as a public connection in the Master Street Plan but portions are now private) and explained that the bike-lane waiver is intended as a near-term compromise to allow the project to move forward while preserving the right to restripe and install bike lanes or on-street parking later as development occurs.
Each waiver was presented with a Planning Commission recommendation (typically 9-0) and carried by council vote 7-0 as recorded in the meeting transcript.