A new sign welcoming drivers to Bella Vista has cleared one of its final hurdles ahead of construction.
The Planning Commission voted Jan. 12 to approve the rezoning of a 0.2-acre parcel on U.S. 71, just south of the Arkansas Welcome Center, where the sign will be erected. The commission voted 5-0 for approval. Gail Kelsen was absent.
The area where the sign is set to be built, commonly referred to as Old Bella Vista, was annexed by the city in February 2014. But zoning code regulations dictate that annexed land come into the city zoned as A-1, agriculture. Because A-1 is not equipped for such a project, a C-3, central commercial designation, was desired.
Chris Suneson, Planning and Code Enforcement director, said Monday that the rezone was a "high priority."
Suneson was part of a committee to build new signs that included Alderwoman Becky Morgan, POA Board director Ruth Hatcher and POA corporate secretary Kathy Ferguson. He praised the cooperative efforts of the city and POA.
"The project in and of itself is evident of how we work together for a community good," Suneson said, stressing community interaction. "These monuments represent a demarcation of how our community takes pride in itself. They represent that cooperative spirit."
There will be two welcome signs, one at the north and south entrances to Bella Vista. The project is a joint-effort of the city and Property Owners Association.
Both signs will be composed of sandstone with dimensions of 7.5-feet tall by 30-feet long by 1-foot wide.
The current sandstone bases, which were left after the POA removed the old welcome signs in April, will naturally range in color from light tans to rusty oranges and the words "Bella Vista" will be made of powder-coated aluminum channel letters and be 2.5-feet-tall, according to a commission report.
A flag pole will go behind the sign "to provide vertical interest and display the community's patriotic character."
The north entrance sign will be near Bear Hollow Road, which is just south of the Missouri state line.
In October 2014, the City Council approved entrance signage design plans, which allowed the city and POA to begin working on a cost-sharing agreement. Suneson said the goal is to split costs evenly.
Future maintenance costs are still being hashed out, he said.
The planning commission's vote is not binding, and serves only as a recommendation to the City Council.
The Council will vote on the issue at its regular meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at Highlands Crossing.
General News on 01/21/2015