The Morning News' story below has been updated by the blogger to clarify facts. Something the newspapers may be investigating is whether the sale barn will be reestablished soon in Prairie Grove, where the owners have property. Just a rumor, not a fact yet.
Veterans Want More Time To Buy Sale Barn Site
By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — Veterans in Northwest Arkansas want more time to raise up to $4 million to buy the Washington County Livestock Sale Barn property, alongside the Fayetteville National Cemetery.
GRAPH EDITED TO Clarify FACTS: Only 8.77 acres of the approximately 11-acre tract is on course to be rezoned, opening the way for apartment housing. The northwest portion of the land, which borders National Street and Government Avenue, is also for sale but already is zoned to allow apartments.
The veterans say they'd like one year to raise the money.
"We're going to the (congressional) delegation. We're going to foundations. We're going to all the groups that support veterans," said retired Lt. Col. Jim Buckner, who is a representative of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
The veterans are appealing to U.S. Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor as well as 3rd District Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, for passage of a $4 million federal earmark to allow the National Cemetery to buy the property.
The rezoning petition is set to appear at the next Fayetteville City Council meeting.
At least one council member says she supports this request, but is also looking out for the owners of the sale barn, Steve and Billy Bartholomew.
"If the owner is willing to hold off, I think it would be a fabulous deal," said Adella Gray, one of the council members from Ward 1. She would like to see the veterans become the next owners of what she and others have called "such a prized piece of property."
"My knee-jerk reaction is that I would support it," Gray added.
"If the owner is agreeable, and if he can do it — though I don't know, that could be hard on both him and his family — so holding off a year could be asking a lot," Gray admitted.
Even with such formidable opposition, Campus Crest, the Charlotte, N.C.-based developer wanting to transform the old barn site into 192 student apartments, is not backing down.
"Campus Crest made an offer to the Bartholomew family to purchase the sale barn property," said Andy Aldridge, a public relations spokesperson for Campus Crest.
"That offer was accepted and is now a binding contract between a buyer and a seller contingent upon approval of the rezoning. Campus Crest does not enter lightly into a contract such as this and fully plans to honor its commitment to the Bartholomew family and the community of Fayetteville," Aldridge said Wednesday.
Veterans and neighbors in the area have been insistent they don't want college students as neighbors.
"That would be the worst possible neighbor to our veterans," Buckner said.
Military groups have been at work for years trying to raise money to buy surrounding property to expand the cemetery, which they say will be at capacity in 2015.
"It would be unfortunate for the Bartholomew family to be forced out of a potential sale of this property and have to wait an entire year only to find out that they're back in the same boat," said Aldridge, speaking toward a possible delay.
The Bartholomews did not return calls seeking comment.
GRAPH EDITED TO CLARIFY FACTS: The 8.77-acre part of the property is zoned light industrial. The proposal is to rezone it to downtown general — a multifamily mixed-use residential designation. The remainder is zoned RMF-24, which also allows apartment construction.
The family owned Washington County Auction, which is in its eighth decade of operation, plans to hold its final sale today.
The rezoning proposal is to be on the agenda of the Fayetteville City Council meeting at 6 p.m. July 7 in City Hall at 113 W. Mountain St.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment