The Bella Vista City Council, aka "Cap'n Crunch and the Box Tops," met Monday, Nov. 25, to hear arguments pro and con about the rezoning from C-2 to C-3 along with a special-use permit so that a long-awaited "green" auto body shop could be built between the U.S. post office and Dollar General.
Much to the dismay of all 15 residents who presented a petition to defeat this zoning change signed by 100 percent of the homeowners on Timbercrest Lane, which abuts to this land on the west, and several other residents in the Highlands, the Box Tops voted 5-1 in favor of the spot-zoning change and also voted 5-1 to not allow a third reading for the change.
That being said, we the residents on Timbercrest Lane will get to see no evil, hear no evil and smell no evil when this "green" auto body shop is up and polluting the residents to the west.
Real estate values also will be affected adversely, we just don't know how much at this time.
Kudos to the Planning Commission and Cap'n Crunch and the Box Tops for allowing this unsolicited business to locate on an inappropriate site.
I guess the theory is all of us "old" folks will now have a handy place to take our old beat-up cars to for repairs. Not going to happen.
It is amazing to the residents of Bella Vista that Cap'n Crunch and the Box Tops would not even listen to their constituents' grievances.
Seems as though this is a trend to decide issues outside of the public eye, good or bad.
Does this remind you of the politics in Washington?
Roll on, Bella Vista City Council.
Dave McElwain
Bella Vista
Commentary on 12/11/2013