Planners reject livestock variance

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

— Planning commissioners rejected Daniel Fletcher’s variance request to keep livestock on 2.68 acres on West PIckens Street, even though previous commissioners approved the variance a couple of years ago.

Fletcher, who appeared before the Planning Commission on April 5, requested permission to keep horses and cattle on his land. The city’s zoning ordinance does not allow livestock on any tract smaller than five acres.

Fletcher had been granted permission for horses for short periods of time while his children were preparing them for showing at the county fair. However, he received a citation when he was found to have eight head of cattle on the property March 19, 2010, for the zoning violation. He pleaded not guilty in Pea Ridge court, but was found guilty on Jan. 25, 2011.

Assistant city attorney Tiffany Burnett counseled the Planning Commission that the city code will notallow issuing a variance for any property less than five acres.

“I question whether the board can even grant a variance at all,” Burnett said. “The code says shall not permit any use of the zone that is not permitted under the regulations ... the conditional use requires a minimum of five acres.”

Fletcher told the commissioners he would contact his attorney.

News, Pages 1 on 04/13/2011