The Harrison Planning Commission met for its monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 22, in Council Chambers.
The Commissioners discussed the large-scale development at 1019 Bennett Drive, which would involve adding a warehouse on the south side of Sanders Supply's existing building. The current building is 12,000 square feet, and the new proposed warehouse is 6,000 square feet.
Josh Thomason from Butch May Contracting was present and answered some questions the commissioners had.
Pratt said he was OK with some waivers and motioned to approve the waiver for a screen between the proposed commercial development and residential because of the higher elevation, and typical screening would be ineffective.
The motion passed. The agenda also included information about the Arkansas General Session Bills that would impact Planning and Zoning.
COO/Engineer Wade Phillips said Acts 313 and 314 are now law, and the Harrison Commissioners will eventually have to make changes to the local code to comply with the state. Act 313 limits the types of regulations that local governments can enforce regarding accessory dwelling units. Act 314 effectively eliminates municipalities' jurisdiction over land development within a municipality's planning boundary.
HB1790 was to limit local regulation of short-term rentals, which failed on the Senate floor. Phillips told the Commissioners that they will need to discuss short-term rentals and how they fit with our current regulations at some point.
SB571, now Act 1002, prohibits City Building and Zoning Code enforcement on County-owned property within a city’s corporate limits.
Two bills aimed at stripping local authorities regarding zoning code and land use were not passed this year but are likely to come up at the next general session of the legislature. HB1754 would have severely limited or even eliminated the authority of local governments (both county and city) to enact and enforce zoning regulations. SB456 would have drastically altered local authority over zoning and land use. One provision in SB456 that was concerning was the elimination of single-family only zoning districts.
The Commissioners were disappointed by what appears to be continued attempts at the state level to dictate local regulations and strip away local authority.