Bentonville Planning Commission approved a rezoning Tuesday night that advances a residential housing development that would be located just east of Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. 

The Planning Commission’s approval sends the development to the City Council, which will make the final decision on whether it can proceed. The City Council is expected to vote on the project at its next meeting Tuesday, Nov. 26.

The Echelon project has seen considerable opposition from residents in surrounding neighborhoods. The rezoning was originally tabled at an Oct. 15 meeting after planning commissioners fielded concerns from more than 35 residents, giving developers time to make changes to the project before a vote. 

After two hours of public comments and commissioner debate, the Planning Commission voted 5-2 to approve the rezoning. Commissioners Dana Davis and Doug Bryant voted against it.

Echelon developers are proposing 20 single-family homes — 10 attached and 10 detached — on 3.58 acres at 1602 Northwest 3rd Street. Included in the plan is a walking trail and neighborhood park. 

After the Oct. 15 meeting, developers made several adjustments to the originally submitted plans to address resident concerns. Adjustments included decreasing the unit count from 21 to 20, revising the maximum building height to two stories to match surrounding homes, and submitting new designs that more closely mimic the style and feel of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Despite the changes, 26 residents spoke against the project during the public comment period Tuesday night. Many comments emphasized concerns about the project’s density, arguing that the units are incompatible with the character of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Kyle Smith, project manager for Echelon, pointed out that the development is 5.6 dwelling units per acre, which aligns with low-density criteria. 

“That fits squarely within the three to eight units per acre that the low-density residential classification calls for,” he said.

Commissioner Ifeoma Ibekwe said the city of Bentonville has a housing shortage, and that “we really need to think about that as a community.” 

“If we keep doing this where neighborhoods come out and say, ‘we don’t want it, put it somewhere else,’ the issue that comes up … is that everybody says ‘put it somewhere else’ — where is somewhere else?” she said.

Other neighbor concerns surrounded increased traffic congestion, noise and trash with the addition of 20 homes. As of Wednesday, an online petition to deny the rezoning garnered 151 signatures.

City Councilwoman Cindy Acree, who represents the affected neighborhoods in Ward 2, also spoke against the Echelon development during the public comment period.

“I’ve talked to hundreds of residents … they want to protect our single-family neighborhoods, and I think we have an opportunity to do that,” Acree said.

City planning staff recommends the approval of Echelon, stating in its report the development’s “prime location along Northwest 3rd Street which accesses a dedicated bike lane and trails, as well as its proximity to the commercial hub along Walton Boulevard, makes this location an ideal opportunity for context-sensitive infill development.”

The project aligns with the Bentonville Community Plan to increase housing diversity and meets many of the criteria identified as a strategy to support affordability within Bentonville’s evolving housing landscape, the staff report adds.

“Eighty percent of Bentonville’s workforce comes into our city every day, these people need a place to live. If not here, where?” said Commissioner Elaine Kerr. “I try to think of what is best for the most. … We need that infill, people want to live here just like we do.”