Planning ready with proposed sidewalk plan

The Eureka Springs Planning Commission has made requested revisions to a proposal to update the city’s sidewalk ordinance and will be presenting its plan to the city council.

At its regular meeting held Tuesday, April 14, the planning commission voted to approve the revisions, which includes a letter from Paul Sutherland, the city’s building inspector and code enforcement officer, according to city planning director Cassie Dishman.

“There is the draft ordinance that I had drawn up. It has not changed since you all looked at it last month. I also included Paul’s letter about why he wants certain specifications for the concrete and then a little summary that I wrote up of all the various things we talked about going to go through those three workshops,” Dishman  told commissioners. “If you all approve these then we can give them to city council at our workshop with them or their next meeting, whatever is coming next.”

The council’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 27.

CUP APPROVED CONDITIONALLY

The planning commission approved the transfer of a Conditional Use Permit for tourist lodging for the recently purchased property at 2 Armstrong.

Because the required paperwork wasn’t included in the proposal showing the property was up-to-date on taxes, including the city’s tourism tax, the commission OK’d the approval pending receipt of the required documentation.

“Typically, what we will do is we will make sure that the taxes are up to date and we’ll have that paperwork in our packet, and we don’t have that right now,” Commissioner Susan Harman said. “… I think for our purposes, we should have that tax information in our file because that is something that we established that we would always have when we do one of these CUP transfers. So I apologize that that wasn’t done before this meeting, but it sounds like we could vote on this … maybe conditional on showing that the tax has been paid.”

ARRAY OF TREE CUTS APPROVED

The Board of Zoning Adjustment approved a handful of tree cuts, with all but one getting a unanimous OK.

One living tree was approved to be cut down at 19 Jackson. The tree is “wrapping around the gas line and roots are going underneath the foundation,” commissioners were told.

Four living trees were approved to be cut at condominiums located on Huntington Way near Pivot Rock Road.

Tom Buford, a former longtime planning commission and BOZA member who abstained from voting on tree cuts for the past year or so of his tenure, requested the tree removals, saying they were growing into the power lines and also causing “problems with the asphalt.”

The trees were also losing limbs, which were falling on vehicles parked at the condos, Buford told commissioners.

At 115 E. Van Buren, one living tree was approved for removal after commissioners heard that previous owners poured concrete at its base, causing its health to decline. 

Two living trees were approved for removal at 11 Midway St., with owners saying they were leaning over the house on the property.

The final approval was for three living trees at 176 E. Van Buren.