City Directors fail to see big picture

This week the Fort Smith city directors voted, or rather, failed to pass a motion to vote on, a proposed zoning change for a lot near Rogers Ave and Country Club Drive. To give a reference point it is the vacant lot in between Chili's and the Valero gas station at the top of the hill. An out of town developer requested the city to rezone a lot behind this one so he could build a Best Western hotel. The front lot was zoned commercial and the back lot was zoned residential.
Based on everything I read and saw in the media it appears the directors didn't follow through with the rezoning ordinance because they were concerned over the traffic count at that section of Rogers Ave. Unfortunately this had nothing to do with the actual issue of a hotel moving in to that spot. The hotel project was going to happen regardless of the zoning issues and the directors posturing to the media that they were concerned over traffic was pointless.

Had they passed the motion and then voted to rezone the back lot from residential to commercial, the developer would have been tied to all the enhancement requirements added by the Fort Smith planning commission when the developer's request was first submitted. The enhancements included a buffer zone between the commercial development and the neighboring houses along 65th street as well as a condition that there could not be a direct entry and exit way onto 65th street. In other words no direct access from the hotel parking lot to the residential neighborhood directly behind the proposed development site.

So much for the conditions. Since the city directors didn't approve the zoning change, now the developer is free to build a parking lot on the residential lot without the buffer zone and worst of all he can now include an entry point directly from the site into the neighboring residential area.

They thought they were helping out the residents when in reality they were helping the developer take the easiest route possible to development.

Looks like we'll have traffic all right. Let's just hope it's not on 65th street.