Fayetteville council approves amended PZD for Goose Creek area despite staff infrastructure concerns

The Fayetteville City Council on Oct. 7 approved an amended residential planned zoning district (PZD 2025‑2) covering roughly 66.78 acres southeast of North Double Springs Road and West Dot Tipton Road in Ward 4.

The measure passed after the applicant offered an amendment that reduced some uses, removed short‑term rentals and added commitments the developer said would fund extended street improvements, additional stormwater ponding and reduced building heights. The applicant, Will Kaelstrom of Goose Creek Edition, told the council the PZD is “roughly 4 units per acre” with a mix of duplexes and small houses and that the PZD format locks in commitments that cannot later be changed.

Planning staff maintained significant reservations. Development Services Director Jonathan Kurth told the council that “staff's overriding concerns about infrastructure still remain” and that, at the time of the hearing, staff was recommending denial because off‑site infrastructure and emergency access challenges had not been fully resolved. Kurth also noted the planning commission had forwarded the request to council by a 7–2 vote.

Neighbors and technical professionals urged the council to delay or deny the request. Architect and longtime resident Jim Gallagher warned the council the site was “bad for the site, the neighborhood, and the city at large,” citing narrow road widths and the risks of adding traffic before pavement, drainage and utilities are improved. A retired Arkansas Department of Transportation resident engineer, Bashar Caden, said Dot Tipton and nearby roads would face heavy wear from construction traffic and additional residents.

Supporters emphasized revised commitments from the applicant. The amendment narrative presented to council included planned widening and reconstruction of stretches of Dot Tipton Road and a proposed access easement to improve fire access, and the applicant said it had identified three potential school bus stop locations in coordination with the Farmington School District.

Council debate centered on whether the location could be made safe and fiscally sensible through conditions and whether the PZD's explicit commitments — including road work, stormwater ponding and limits on building height — were sufficient. After discussion, the council voted to advance and adopt the amended ordinance.

The ordinance authorizes roughly 18 acres of attached townhomes, 32 acres of single‑family dwellings and about 17 acres of open or natural areas, subject to conditions in the amended PZD booklet. Councilmembers noted they could still require design and engineering work at later review stages.

Next steps: the PZD is now adopted; future development permits and preliminary plats will come back through the city's planning review and engineering checks where staff will seek to ensure the promised infrastructure and access commitments are implemented.