Fort Smith board approves rezonings on Wheeler and Rogers avenues

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Nov. 4 approved two zoning changes that clear the way for commercial development in two neighborhoods.

Deputy City Administrator Maggie Rice told the board the Planning Commission held public hearings Oct. 14 on both applications and recommended approval. The council voted to amend the master land use plan and zoning map for 5724 Wheeler Avenue to commercial heavy, allowing the conversion of an existing church into an event center. The measure passed with six votes in favor and one abstention; the board also adopted an emergency clause tied to that ordinance.

Rice said the application for 8716 Rogers Avenue would change zoning to a C2 commercial-light district and facilitate construction of two roughly 8,800-square-foot retail buildings, one with a drive‑through. She told the board a neighborhood meeting on Oct. 2 raised questions about traffic on South 80 Seventh Street, stormwater management and possible sewer extensions. No neighbors spoke in opposition at the Planning Commission hearing, which recommended approval 6–0. The board approved the rezoning and the emergency clause on a 7–0 roll call.

The votes move both projects to the next administrative steps needed for permitting and construction. Jackson Goodwin appeared at the meeting to answer questions about the Rogers Avenue application; Brett Abbott represented the Wheeler Avenue applications at the Planning Commission, Rice said. The approval does not yet include site‑level permits such as building permits or final stormwater plans, which Rice said remain part of the standard permitting process.

The board took up the rezoning measures early in the session, before a larger set of bond‑funded wastewater projects that dominated the remainder of the evening.