Veterans, neighbors of the National Cemetery and many others fill the council chamber to protest threat of student apartments adjacent to cemetery

Please click on images to ENLARGE view of some of the people on July 7, 2009, who protested the proposal of out-of-state developers to build multi-story student apartment buildings next to the Fayetteville National Cemetery.




The Morning News

Local News for Northwest Arkansas


Council Holds Off Rezoning Sale Barn

By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville City Council took no action Tuesday night on a move to rezone the Washington County Livestock Sale Barn property.
Council members say more time is needed for a solution to be negotiated among developers, neighbors in the area and veterans who want the property as an expansion for the Fayetteville National Cemetery.
"I see a lot of comments being made over fear, and I'm not seeing too much reason coming forward," said Councilman Matthew Petty.
After some 90 minutes of debate, it seemed most of the eight council members were either against the idea of rezoning the 9-acre site from light industrial to downtown general, or thought downtown general was also an inappropriate zoning.
"My concern is that downtown general is not a buffer," remarked Brenda Thiel, a council member representing the area. She did not feel the form-based zoning of downtown general — which would allow for multifamily housing, restaurants or some commercial development — is a suitable edge to a long-standing single-family neighborhood nearby.
Her colleague Adella Gray, also representing Ward 1, saw the proposal differently. She said she was ready to vote to approve the rezoning, which would steer the way for Campus Crest, the North Carolina-based student housing developer to buy the site and build a 192-apartment complex.
"It's not like Campus Crest ran into town from North Carolina and made him (sale barn owner Billy Joe Bartholomew) an offer. They've been working together for three years," Gray said.
"And I admit we have not heard a lot of reason and that's a disappointment," she added.
Some of the most passionate and heated comments came from the crowd. Many veterans speaking Tuesday night opposed the development because they would like the land for expansion of the cemetery, or did not see college students as appropriate neighbors.
Retired Lt. Col. Jim Buckner, a representative of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, has routinely referred to the students as a group in line to "desecrate" the memory of veterans. The remark raised a sharp rebuke by Petty, the council's youngest member.
"That offends me, being a young person," Petty told the crowded council chambers, overflowing into the hallway outside and down the great staircase.
"I think if you think young people are bad neighbors, then you need to rethink what makes you proud of your country," Petty added, to a round of groans from the audience.
Dan Normand, a Campus Crest representative, said the project is willing to make some concessions to neighbors. One of those is a 25-foot buffer zone around the development.
Still, residents and some council members say that is not enough, and the proposed zoning is simply not appropriate, they add.
"This is an older section (of town) that is definitely zoned wrong," said Shirley Lucas, a council member, who added downtown general would do nothing to ultimately reduce the overall density brought on by apartments.
Sarah Lewis, a council member from Ward 4 asked the City Council to consider the neighborhood as candidate for the next public-input neighborhood master planning area. The council split 4-4 on the measure, with Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan breaking the tie supporting the plan.
The next neighborhood master plan study is set for 2012, said Don Marr, Fayetteville chief of staff.