MAPC denies a request for commercial rezoning

Jonesboro, Arkansas – An owner wanted to rezone a piece of land from R-1 to C-3 so they could build a “small hotel,” but the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission rejected their proposal.

The area’s TA Truck Stop developer, Karma Holdings, LLC, has asked to rezone 33.47 acres at 5500 C.W. Post Road from a single-family medium density to a general commercial district.

The owners were in negotiations with a “premium hotel company” to construct a modest hotel at the site, according to company attorney Scott Troutt. He did not, however, reveal the name of the hotel chain.

In addition, he said that Karma Holdings was attempting to bring in another restaurant after reaching a deal with KFC.

Troutt stated the land had “stood within an otherwise industrial sector as effectively nothing” for thirty years, citing satellite footage from 1994.

The owners of a nearby property raised some concerns before the commission voted.
Engines, Inc.’s owners, Lloyd, Linda, and Cameron Wofford, stated that the commercial rezoning would not be appropriate given the current industrial usage in the region and that increased traffic would cause congestion along C.W. Post Road.

“Most everything out there is zoned industrial,” Lynda Wofford told the commissioners. “We’re really opposed to having any more traffic in that area unless it’s industrial traffic.”

In addition, she claimed that rezoning the land will clog the newly constructed bypass, which is intended to relieve traffic on Red Wolf Boulevard and Caraway Road.

“If allowed, more C-3 building out there is just going to make that bypass as congested as Caraway and Red Wolf,” she said. “It kind of defeats the purpose.”

In response to Wofford’s remarks, the panel decided 4-3 to reject Karma Holdings’ application.

Dennis Zolper, Jimmy Cooper, Monroe Pointer, and Stephanie Nelson all voted against the rezoning. Jim Little, Kevin Bailey, and Jeff Steiling all voted in favor of the request.

Regarding other matters, the MAPC unanimously decided to postpone the owner’s request for a final subdivision at Keller’s Chapel Plaza at Southern Hills until its subsequent meeting.

Brandon Wood requested a preliminary subdivision at Twin Oaks Reserve, which is located south of Jaxon Drive and consists of 15 lots on 17.2 acres. The commissioners overwhelmingly accepted his request. Currently, the land is classified C-3 and C-4 Limited Use Overlay.