A new subdivision with hundreds of homes on lots as small as 1/18th of an acre — along with townhomes — is planned on the west side of Bentonville, surrounded mostly by farmland.

The property is located off a bend on SW Regional Airport Boulevard, sandwiched between Mill Dam Road and Nomad Road. In all, 281 houses and 140 townhomes are planned for the 55-acre site.

A memo from city planning staff concedes that the development “contrasts with the surrounding undeveloped farmland.”

However, according to the Future Land Use Map — the city government’s long-term plan for how and where Bentonville should grow — it’s a perfect fit for the area.  

On the map, the property is surrounded by two land use categories: “Walkable Neighborhood” and “Walkable Corridor.”

“Walkable Neighborhood” areas include a mix of housing types with density approaching 15 units per acre. “Walkable Corridor” areas run along major roadways and envision less strip mall–style development like Walton Boulevard and more housing, mixed-use buildings, and shops and services that residents can walk or bike to.

So while the area around the property looks like this:

The city envisions it looking more like this in the coming decades: 

When the City Council approved a rezoning request Tuesday night, “The Thickets” development cleared the last major hurdle in the city’s approval process.

The property was previously split between R-2 and R-3 zoning before it was rezoned as a Planned Residential Development that allows more flexibility than standard zoning rules.

The Planned Residential Development allows the project to be built under one set of zoning rules instead of two. It also allows for smaller lots for the houses, with a minimum size of 2,275 square feet compared with the 5,000-square-foot minimum required under R-2 zoning.

The added flexibility of the Planned Residential Development comes with some additional requirements, including shared green space and neighborhood amenities. 

The development includes around 15% of green space, and planned amenities include a dog park, trails and a pickleball court. None of the homes will include garages or fenced yards, although there will be a fence around the perimeter of the neighborhood. 

Townhomes will be constructed in groups of four and six units. The square footage of the townhomes and houses are not specified in the submitted plans.

The project is being constructed by Schuber Mitchell Homes. The Joplin-based homebuilder has built multiple neighborhoods in surrounding cities, but this will be the company’s first development within Bentonville city limits. 

No residents showed up at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to object to the development. 

But during a November planning commission meeting, a few neighbors shared concerns.

Jason Boze, who owns a home to the north of the development, asked the developer to flip the locations of the single-family homes and townhomes. 

The developer did not make the change. A Schuber Mitchell representative noted that Boze’s property is close to SW Regional Boulevard, making it likely to be redeveloped with higher-intensity development in the future. 

For that reason, placing the townhomes closer to his property and “stairstepping” down to single-family homes farther away would be more appropriate, the representative said.

Dan Douglas, who owns a neighboring farm, expressed concerns about plans to place the neighborhood dog park along the border of his property, where he keeps livestock.

“What if the dogs get out? I’ll be honest, I’ve been on that farm all my life. There have been stray dogs come over and chase cattle,” Douglas said. “I try to call the owners. If it happens repeatedly, the dogs don’t come home. I’ve shot many a dog. I don’t like to, but state law allows me to protect my livestock.”

In updated plans, the dog park was moved to the other side of the development.

Additional back-and-forth between the city and the developer in the months following the November meeting addressed sidewalk widths, roadway layout, utility planning and design details.

The Planning Commission ultimately approved the development on March 3, paving the way for Tuesday’s final approval by the City Council.