The planning and zoning commission voted 6-0 during their meeting on Tuesday night to approve a significant development permit that could lead to the construction of an 80,000-square-foot apartment complex on North Country Club Road.
The complex would consist of four, two-and-a-half-story apartment buildings that would each be capable of housing 20 dwelling units, with about seven units per floor, according to a city staff report. More specifically, the buildings would be located on three lots on the portion of North Country Club Road that intersects with East Little John Street and East Sherwood Street.
Due to the scope of the project, the applicant - Jim Krein - plans to build the apartments in a series of construction phases that could take three to five years to complete, according to a city staff report. Zoning is also not an issue with this development, as it was rezoned in 2015 from I-1 (industrial) to R-4 (residential, multi-family), with the expectation that multi-family housing would eventually go there.
With a total of 80 possible units, this is the maximum density permitted by the zoning code for this area, and it should also be noted that the proposed lots also border either multi-family zones or county property, according to a city staff report. Moreover, one concern cited by city staff about the project is its projected traffic increase, and for that reason, they recommended approval of the proposal, subject to the condition that the applicant pay an additional $26,000 in street fees to account for the expected impact.
The only public comment on the matter came from Doug Curry, who said that he was there on behalf of Webb Wheel Products to request that a fence be constructed in between the southernmost lot and a truck entrance that is located on the north side of the business because it would present a safety concern otherwise. Aside from this, there was no opposition to the proposal and it will go to the city board for further review on April 2.
Restaurant proposals
As mentioned in a March 10 report from the Herald-Leader, there were also three significant development proposals on the night's agenda relating to new restaurants in Siloam Springs, all of which were approved 6-0. The restaurants in question are Dairy Queen, Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers and Popeye's Chicken, and these proposals will also go to the city board for consideration on April 2.
The proposed location for the Dairy Queen is a paved, vacant lot located at 102 Highway 412 E., that used to be the site of a gas station, which was demolished in 2010, according to a city staff report. The applicant also plans to provide additional landscaping and greenspace at the location, and the proposed entrance for the restaurant is the existing drive off of U.S. Highway 412.
The other two restaurants would be located across from one another on the 3500 Block of U.S. Highway 412, according to a city staff report. The Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers would be on the north side of the highway, east of Rib Crib and would be located next to a recently-approved shopping center. The primary access point to the restaurant would be a private driveway that is located west of the proposed site and currently functions as an entrance to both Rib Crib and Lowe's Home Improvement.
As for Popeye's Chicken, it would be located on the south side of U.S. Highway 412 in a vacant lot that sits east of Tractor Supply, according to a city staff report. Access to the facility will be available via an existing driveway that is on the east side of Tractor Supply, and the applicant also desires to construct a new driveway that will run in the same direction and directly accessible from U.S. Highway 412.
Natural gas utility
The commission also approved a significant development permit and a lot split development permit on Tuesday that pertain to a proposal from Black Hills Energy to construct an approximately 11,000-square-foot operations center for a natural gas utility, according to a city staff report. The facility would be located on a 4.03 acre lot located at 2250 N. Country Club Road.
It would include a paved parking lot in the front with additional parking and equipment storage space in the back and will house about 12 employees, according to a city staff report. It is also not expected to cause a significant traffic increase and drainage will be handled by a detention basin located south of the proposed site.
In other business, the commission:
- Approved a rezone development permit in a vote of 6-0 that would rezone a 3.7 acre property located at 303 S. Country Club Road from I-2 (light industrial) to C-2 (roadway commercial).