Commission approves Ortho clinic site plan after extensive debate over traffic and second access at North Shore Business Park

The North Little Rock Planning Commission voted to approve both the rezoning and the accompanying site plan for a proposed 48,000-square-foot Ortho Arkansas medical clinic at 7785 North Shore Place after extended public testimony and internal debate about traffic and emergency access.

Brian Dale of Joe White & Associates presented the plan; he said Ortho purchased the land in the North Shore Business Park and intends to construct the medical facility there. Ward 3 Councilman Ron Harris said he supported the move and described work underway with the Pulaski County School District to adjust student drop-off patterns to reduce congestion. "I'm just here in support of the park moving forward with Ortho because, I think we're gonna have some improved improvement in there," Harris said.

Developer Jean Pfeiffer told the commission the developer and applicant had addressed site-plan concerns, and that the fire marshal and staff had discussed emergency access. Planning staff confirmed a traffic study was in progress and that a draft summary had been sent to the city engineer; developers said the final traffic analysis would be completed by the end of the week and provided to city staff. Developers and several commissioners discussed the long-standing need for a permanent second entrance to the business park; Pfeiffer described that fix as a multi-year, multimillion-dollar project involving multiple property owners.

Commission debate focused on whether to delay site-plan approval until the city engineer reviewed the traffic study or to approve the site plan and leave any unresolved access improvements to subsequent review or to city council review of the rezoning. A motion to postpone to await the city engineer was entertained and then withdrawn. When the commission took a roll-call vote on the site plan, the tally recorded one dissenting vote. The site-plan vote was recorded with Commissioner Foster voting "No" and the remaining voting commissioners voting "Yes." Earlier in the meeting the rezoning (I-2 to C-3) to allow a medical clinic was approved by roll call.

Planning staff and the developer confirmed that the fire marshal had communicated that site-specific fire access issues on this lot had been addressed for the plan under review, but that the wider business-park second-entrance question remains a broader infrastructure matter involving grants and multi-party cooperation. The developer said the applicant will forward the traffic study to the city engineer and coordinate on the access recommendations; the commission’s approval allows the application to move forward to city council as required by the city’s land-use process.

The commission recorded both approvals and advised the applicant to work with staff and the city engineer on any required revisions prior to permit issuance.