Quorum Court refers land-use study back to planning board, seeks more community outreach

Pulaski County’s Quorum Court committee voted to remove Land-Use item 24 I 60 from the table and unanimously referred it back to the county Planning Board, asking the board to address specific concerns raised by justices and conduct another round of community meetings within a 45-day timeline.

Justice Rebecca Davis moved to refer the land-use study back to the Planning Board and requested that the board provide bullet-point responses to concerns in three areas and hold additional community meetings in affected districts. The committee agreed that a written letter should accompany the referral, stating the Quorum Court’s expectations and creating a paper trail of required follow-up.

The committee first voted 14–1 to remove the item from the table (Mister McCoy voted no), then approved the referral by roll call, 15 ayes. During discussion, several justices asked the Planning Board to consider whether individual Quorum Court districts could be carved out of the plan and whether the plan could be made more sensitive to legacy landowners and development pressures in northern parts of the county.

Justice Dowers requested that the Planning Board examine whether specific Quorum Court districts could be excluded from the plan and how to protect small legacy landowners from large-scale developer-driven provisions. Justice Youngbaker stressed the study is not an ordinance but a planning document intended to identify growth "hot spots." Several committee members asked staff to draft and send a formal letter asking the Planning Board to return within 45 days with community outreach and responses to the court’s concerns.

The referral directs staff to request another round of public meetings and to provide the Planning Board with a written list of expectations. Committee members said they want more in-person outreach beyond social media and a concise information sheet they can use in neighborhood meetings.