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Commission approves Cantrell Road land‑use change and rezoning to allow mixed‑use development
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Summary
The commission approved a land‑use plan amendment and a concurrent rezoning along Cantrell Road to permit mixed‑use and C‑3 zoning after staff recommended approval and the applicant agreed to remove many permitted C‑3 uses; neighbors objected to spot‑zoning, lack of traffic and drainage analyses, and proximity to Little Rock Christian Academy.
The Little Rock Planning Commission approved a land‑use plan amendment and a rezoning on April 9 to allow mixed‑use development along Cantrell Road in the Chennault planning district.
Planner Hannah (staff) told commissioners the change from suburban office and residential low density to mixed use was reasonable given arterial frontage, multimodal planning and the corridor’s existing mixed‑use pattern. The rezoning request to C‑3 (general commercial) was filed concurrently and staff recommended approval with conditions.
Morgan Grounds, a Maywood Drive resident, urged the commission to defer or deny the request, calling it “spot zoning” and criticizing the lack of a site plan, traffic study and drainage analysis. “Approving zoning before evaluating these impacts is a procedural issue,” Grounds said, pointing out the site’s proximity to Little Rock Christian Academy and the planned bike facilities on Cantrell Road.
Applicant representatives said they revised the application to remove a long list of high‑impact C‑3 uses and that the site has frontage on a principal arterial where commercial access is anticipated. The applicant also said they purchased adjacent parcels to maintain a residential buffer and that traffic and drainage will be addressed at the development review stage.
Commissioners debated process and consistency with the adopted land‑use plan. After discussion, the commission voted separately to approve the land‑use plan amendment and then the rezoning to C‑3, with commissioners noting staff conditions and the applicant’s voluntary restrictions on certain uses.
The approvals were recorded as motions with the requirement that future site plans and engineering demonstrate compliance with staff conditions and applicable overlay standards.
