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Prairie Grove board tables paving-variance request for 1770 V Street pending bids and timeline
Summary
At its Sept. 5 meeting, the Prairie Grove Board of Adjustments tabled a request from property owner Bill Bush for a variance to paving requirements at 1770 V Street, asking for concrete bids and a timeline; the board said financial inability alone does not meet the ordinance hardship standard.
The Prairie Grove Board of Adjustments on Sept. 5 voted to table a variance request that would waive paving requirements for a lot at 1770 V Street, saying the applicant must provide concrete bids and a timetable before the board will consider relief.
Bill Bush, identified in the hearing as the property owner, described the parcel as having an old chip base and overgrown vegetation and said he has not obtained contractor quotes or a timeline for paving. “I drove by there and looked at it… I think it’s all overgrown,” he said, and indicated he has struggled to pay property taxes. Bush asked the board for flexibility to restore and reuse the lot.
Commissioners responded that the city’s variance rules require demonstration of a hardship and noted that the local ordinance bars basing a hardship on financial inability alone. One commissioner said the board has previously granted extensions on good faith when applicants returned with bids but stressed that the board now needs actual bids, cost estimates and a schedule to justify prolonging relief.
A commissioner moved to table the request for one month and asked the applicant to provide actual contractor bids and a timeline for work; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Board members identified the next meeting as Oct. 10 for follow-up. No formal roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
Why it matters: The board’s decision preserves enforcement of paving standards while opening a short period for the applicant to produce documented plans and cost estimates. If Bush returns with bids and a concrete schedule, the board may reconsider the variance; absent such evidence the item is likely to be denied under the current ordinance.
Next steps: The applicant must submit the requested bids and a timeline before the board’s next meeting. The motion’s outcome was a tabled action rather than a denial or approval.
