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Conway zoning board approves variance to allow chain-link fence with vinyl slats at 3191 Highway 378
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals granted ASL Properties LLC a variance to permit chain-link fencing with vinyl slats on the sides and rear of a light-industrial parcel at 3191 Highway 378, citing airport visibility and adjacent development as reasons for the change from the Gateway Corridor Overlay standards.
The Board of Zoning Appeals in Conway on Thursday approved a variance allowing chain-link fencing with vinyl slats on the sides and rear of the property at 3191 Highway 378, according to the applicant and city staff.
City staff read the relevant provisions of the City of Conway Unified Development Ordinance and described the applicant’s request. "Chain link fencing with or without barbed wire in the GCO is prohibited," staff said while summarizing UDO Section 6.5.0.2. The parcel is zoned light industrial and the side and rear will be used for a gravel storage yard, staff said, noting that UDO Section 5.1.0.18 requires opaque screening for open-air storage only on parcels zoned highway commercial.
David Schwert, representing Diamond Shores as agent for property owner ASL Properties LLC, told the board the applicant is proposing chain-link fencing with vinyl slats on the sides and rear set just inside the required landscaping, with a 6-foot wooden screening fence running parallel to Highway 378 along the street-facing side. Schwert said the parcel’s rear borders the airport, which "prefers chain link fencing," and that the owner sought more visibility to satisfy the airport while still providing some screening. "The piece behind it is the airport, which prefers chain link fencing, which is why the owner suggested the change," Schwert said.
Board discussion centered on visibility to the airport and the fact that adjacent properties are being developed. The board chair said the requested arrangement — visible chain link at the airport-facing side combined with screening along the highway — was preferable to having no screening. "Considering I don't want the FAA mad at me, I think we should grant the variance as presented," the chair said before making the motion to approve.
The board approved the variance by voice vote; a member identified in the record as Ms. Hill seconded the motion. The transcript records an affirmative voice vote and no recorded opposition. The application materials state the property currently contains Long HVAC and that adjacent parcels are in various stages of development; the wooden fence on the left side is part of a future phase and may be removed during later expansion.
The board's approval allows the applicant to install chain-link fence with vinyl slats on the sides and rear of 3191 Highway 378 instead of the fully opaque fencing that the Gateway Corridor Overlay ordinarily requires. The city staff presentation and applicant statements cited UDO Section 6.5.0.2 (Gateway Corridor Overlay) and Section 5.1.0.18 (open-air storage screening) as the governing rules for the request. The record does not specify any additional conditions, a roll-call tally, or an effective date for the variance.
No members of the public spoke for or against the request during the meeting. The board adjourned after the vote.
