Council adopts revised rezoning for 2620 Alexander Drive after applicant agrees to buffers and green space

The Jonesboro City Council on Feb. 17 replaced a previously published rezoning ordinance with a revised version and adopted the revised ordinance on third reading for property at 2620 Alexander Drive.

Attorney Jim Gramlin, representing the applicant, told the council the revisions add a detailed legal description, preserve a 25‑foot buffer between the rezoned property and residential parcels, include agreed overlay exclusions and dedicate a southeast quadrant portion of the site to green space except for possible ingress/egress. Gramlin said the applicant had met with neighbors and agreed to several concessions.

Council members discussed whether replacing the published ordinance with the longer revised text required additional publication and whether the council could suspend rules to vote the same evening; the city attorney and staff advised the council that they had authority to replace the ordinance on the record and vote. After a motion to replace the pending ordinance with the revised version and a subsequent motion to adopt, the council voted to adopt the revised ordinance that night.

Why it matters: Rezoning changes land‑use permissions and can affect adjacent neighbors, traffic and future development; council acceptance of mitigation measures (buffers and green space) was a key factor in moving the item to adoption.

What’s next: The new zoning will take effect per the city’s ordinance publication rules and the city will record the revised ordinance with the agreed conditions; neighbors and the applicant said they had come to terms on selected conditions.