Planning Commission recommends against rezoning 5866 Ivanhoe Road after residents cite traffic and neighborhood harms

The Bartlett Planning Commission voted to forward an unfavorable recommendation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on a request to rezone 3.426 acres at 5866 Ivanhoe Road from RS-10 (single-family residential) to CG (general business). The applicant, represented by Roy Lamica of EFI Global, had proposed a mixed-use concept including a 2,400-square-foot restaurant and an 8,000-square-foot multi-tenant building. Staff recommended a favorable recommendation provided the applicant meet engineering and planning conditions.

Director Kim Taylor told the commission the lot sits at the northeast corner of Bartlett Boulevard and Ivanhoe Road and was created by deed rather than as part of an adjacent residential subdivision. Taylor said surrounding zoning includes commercial to the north and west and residential to the south and east, and that the applicant provided a conceptual site plan and a commitment to screening and buffering. "Staff recommend[s] a favorable recommendation to the board of mayor and aldermen, provided that the applicant can meet all of the engineering conditions as well as the planning conditions," Taylor said.

Roy Lamica, the applicant's representative, described the site constraints, including a stream with a 150-foot buffer that reduces developable area and a low-lying portion of the lot that would require grading. Lamica said the site sits on a principal urban arterial (Bartlett Boulevard), and that the proposal was intended as a transition between commercial uses to the north and residential to the south. He told the commission the project would include "appropriate screening and buffering" and that the applicant would work with staff on access and engineering matters.

More than a dozen residents spoke in opposition during the public hearing and the commission read letters into the record on both sides. Sam, a staff member who read correspondence, reported the commission had received seven letters in favor and 13 letters against the rezoning plus a petition with 132 signatures opposing it. Speakers living adjacent to the site or in nearby neighborhoods warned the commission of traffic and safety problems at the Bartlett Boulevard–Ivanhoe intersection, the effect of commercial uses on the character of the neighborhood, and the difficulty of buffering a commercial property this close to homes.

Residents framed their concerns in practical terms. "Adding something to that corner is only going to create more volume of traffic," said David Eason, who lives "right around the corner" from the intersection. Lacey Lauther said residents had chosen the neighborhood for its residential character and asked, "What in the long run do we have to vote on if it's gonna end up being a liquor store or smoke shop?" Steve Ebers urged the commission to preserve separation between residential areas and commercial uses, saying the change "will change the character of the surrounding neighborhood." Joyce West highlighted parking and delivery truck concerns, saying the conceptual plan's roughly 85 parking spaces suggested a drive-to, rather than a walkable, development.

Commissioners asked staff whether accident history was available after the traffic signal was installed at the intersection; Taylor said the commission did not have the accident report at the meeting and that transportation and access issues are among the engineering conditions that would be reviewed later in the process. Taylor reiterated that the rezoning vote before the commission was only a recommendation and that final approval rests with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

After public comment and discussion, a commissioner moved to send an unfavorable recommendation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen; the motion carried on roll call. The roll call recorded one "No" vote from Commissioner Greg Easton. Other commissioners recorded "Yes" votes to deny: Jim Lamb, Ken Demetrio, Jack Young, James Reid, Don Conway, Paul Kaiser and David Hunt. The commission will forward its unfavorable recommendation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen; staff announced that the item is scheduled for the board's November 25 meeting.

The commission's action was limited to a recommendation. Any engineering, driveway, pedestrian-access or traffic-mitigation requirements referenced by staff would be considered later in the permitting and site-plan review process should the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approve the rezoning.