Neighborhood Market plans reviewed

Sidewalks requested

City planners and department heads met with Keith Moore, project manager, and Greg Stellmon, architect with Harrison-French, both representing Walmart for the Neighborhood Market project at a technical review meeting Thursday afternoon.

It was determined that Carr Street will be reclassified as a collector street due to the traff c that will be generated, necessitating it to be 36 feet from back of curb to back of curb instead of 31 feet. The design calls for delivery trucks to enter the western entrance oft Slack Street, drive behind the building to a dock on the north side of the building, then exit onto Carr Street.

Moore said core samples had been done on Carr Street and the street will be built to city specifi - cations.

The exit oft Carr Street is also expected to be used by customers leaving the drive-through pharmacy window, Moore said.

Dr. Karen Sherman, planner, asked if Walmart would warranty that section of the street. Nathan See, street superintendent, said there is a three-year warranty on subdivisions which would also apply to this development. Tony Townsend, building official, asked that curb and gutter go at least to the end of the construction area, but he would truly like to see it go to the north end of the property line. Sidewalks were requested along the entire property line, not just the section being developed. “I think that would be a big stipulation,” Sherman said of extending the sidewalk. Moore said to extend the side walk along the south edge of the property, along Slack Street, beyond the construction area would

be expensive because that area is lower and would require fill and possibly a ditch.

“There’s quite a bit of foot traffc along that property now,”Townsend said. “A lot of people here walk tothe store,” M.J. Hensley, planner, said. “That’s one reason the sidewalk needs to go the length of Carr,” Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said. “If you don’t run it along Slack Street, they’ll walk across the field,” See said. “I’m not going to commit to it; I will need to get approval,” Moore said.Planner Jerry Burton asked the mayor about the city sharing costs. Moore said that would make the “conversation go along a lot smoother.” Also discussed was parking, whether angled or straight in and the number of parking spots.

There are parking spots designated along the west edge of the

building east of the delivery lane. A parking variance with fewer parking spots that required by the city was requested, but hardships for that variance were not enumerated.

“There are reasons a parking variance is necessary.

You must identify the hardships,” Townsend said.

Moore said Walmart builds stores all over the country and bases the ratio of the number of parking spots on the size of the store and the customer base.

“We need at least onevalid reason to grant that,” Townsend said. “It can’t be just to save money.”

Landscape plans were discussed with the statement that although they had wanted to save some of the existing trees along Slack Street, it wasn’t possible because of widening the street, building a ditch and sidewalk. “We wanted to save some, but it’s not viable,” Moore said.

Planners also questioned the length of the turn lane planned along Slack Street(Arkansas Highway 72) because of trafi c during certain times of the day.

“It’s definitely going to change,” Al Fowler, planner, said.

“The Neighborhood Markets get a lot of ‘capture traf fic,’” Moore said.

“It will draw additional trafic. The problem we have now will increase,” Fowler said.

Fire Chief Frank Rizzio requested four more fi re hydrants and two more “taps” saying it meets National Fire Protection Association regulations. Moore said hydrants were planned according to the regulations and the building is sprinkled.“We’ve got to be able to access a hydrant prior to theevent on all four corners, ”Rizzio said. “Hydraulically,it’s not good practice to come off the main feed line.” The plans have to be approved by the Planning

Commission for approvalbefore construction can begin.

News, Pages 1 on 09/11/2013