Over the past several months, The Weekly Vista has criticized the actions of some of the members of the City Council.
It is just as important to praise the council when it should be praised.
The council took the correct action at its meeting Nov. 25 when it approved, on a 5-1 vote, the rezoning of a parcel of land on Arkansas 279 near the intersection with Arkansas 340.
The rezoning changed the designation to C-3 from C-2 and made way for the building of an auto body shop on that site.
Bella Vista has seen a lot of changes during its nearly 50 years of existence. It has grown from a resort area to a small village to a large city in Arkansas. It will continue to change.
If the city is going to grow, we're going to need to expand our commercial tax base. Without more businesses, the mill levy on personal property will only increase to keep up with the demands of an evolving city.
A city of more than 25,000 needs a body shop, which aren't grandpa's body shops anymore. They're cleaner and more efficient than their predecessors. And they are quieter.
We will need other businesses to help with our growth.
The lack of land for commercial real estate is a huge problem for Bella Vista. And because of that, we have to take the business opportunities when they are presented. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush — as the old saying goes.
Commercial property along U.S. 71 is at a premium. With the addition of a CVS Pharmacy at the corner of U.S. 71 and Mercy Way, that space just got a little tighter and higher priced.
The auto body shop owners indicated they looked at property on U.S. 71, but couldn't make it work financially.
We know that residents near the site of the auto body shop were vocally upset and disappointed at the council meeting. However, we believe the buffer between residential and commercial property is substantial enough to warrant the conditional-use permit.
When you look at the as-the-crow-flies distance between residential and commercial along the Arkansas 102 and Arkansas 12 corridors in Bentonville and Centerton, you can come to appreciate the nearly football length buffer that includes a wooded ravine that separates the commercial parcels along Arkansas 279 from the residential areas.
With the additional evergreen buffer as part of the conditional-use permit, residents shouldn't even see the body shop, except for possibly during the winter months when leaves are off the trees.
Bella Vista is growing and with it will come commercial opportunities. The council took a brave step in approving this latest development, and we commend them for it. We hope there are more business opportunities in the future for the council to consider.
Commentary on 12/11/2013