Benton planning commission approves several rezones and plats, tables Gaton Road item

The Benton Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 3, 2026 approved a package of rezones and subdivision plats affecting properties across the city and tabled a separate Gaton Road rezoning for resubmission.

Chelsea, the commission clerk, read each application and confirmed staff and utility comments had been addressed before hearings. For 3919 Edison Avenue the property owner, Caesar Salceto Diaz, said he planned to demolish the existing structure and pursue higher-density development. "I'm just obviously looking to reszone the R5 in the process of, you know, hopefully demoing it," Salceto Diaz said. The commission voted to approve the rezoning from R2 (single-family) to R5; the motion passed on roll call.

A request from WL and Wanda Thor's Trust to rezone 734 North Market Street from R2 to R7 prompted discussion about applicable minimum lot sizes and a creek that crosses the property. The applicant's representative said the intent was a multifamily layout but warned plans were preliminary. Commissioners moved to amend the request from R7 to R5 to better match lot-size constraints and the amendment passed.

Raspberry Surveying represented a request to rezone a Sorrow Road parcel (parcel 8005-19925-00001) from agriculture to R5 to allow a proposed six-lot subdivision with duplexes. The applicant described setbacks and an existing shop and house on the site. After discussion about subdivision thresholds and setbacks, the commission voted instead to rezoned the parcel to R2.

The commission approved the Preserve at the Woodlands Phase 4 preliminary plat after staff confirmed fees and subdivision requirements were met under the City of Benton subdivision ordinance; the roll call recorded seven yes votes and one no. The Stillwater Landing (renamed in the packet to avoid confusion with another nearby subdivision) preliminary plat was approved with a contingency after the commission noted the fire marshal's secondary-access comments had been addressed; the item passed on an eight‑yes vote. Bruce Properties' Riverview edition final plat was also approved after staff and utility sign-offs.

Chair's remarks closed the meeting with a reminder that the Gaton Road rezoning (A 4106) had been tabled for the second time and would need to be resubmitted if not advanced. The commission adjourned by voice vote.

Votes and outcomes referenced here are taken from the meeting roll calls and motions read into the record by staff during the Feb. 3, 2026 Benton Planning and Zoning Commission meeting; specific movement language and individual seconding names were not always recorded in the transcript.