Neighbors' opposition stops CUP for apartment units

An application for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a four-unit apartment house at 245 Spring St. was turned down by the Eureka Springs Planning Commission Thursday evening.

Charles Ford and Chuck Schmidt bought the former Mary Jane Beggs Studio and home late last year. The 4,700 square foot house sits on four lots.

Schmidt told the commission "the house is big enough for four apartments, possibly six, if we add on."

There is one apartment already rented in the building. In the R-1 zone, houses may be divided into two living spaces without a CUP. More than that requires the commission's approval.

Ford is the one who signed the application for the CUP and a request for a variance from city parking requirements. He did not attend the meeting.

For nearly an hour, Schmidt talked about plans for the property, commission chairman Dan Bennett read letters of opposition and neighboring property owners supported their letters by speaking against the application.

All of the opposition came down to a lack of parking in the area for potentially eight additional vehicles, assuming two persons per apartment.

Several said a proposed parking area on King St., at the bottom side of the property, would be visible to them and also from Spring St.

Several said the parking congestion on Spring St. is currently difficult to manage and adding more vehicles would make on-street parking impossible.

Because more than 20 percent of the affected property owners within 200 feet of the property in question had written letters in opposition to the application, Bennett said the city's Municipal Code required a "super majority vote - three-fourths of the commission - for approval."

There are currently only six members on the seven-member commission.

When the vote was taken, Commissioner John Brammer was the only one in favor of the CUP.

Since that application failed, any discussion of a variance of the parking requirement became moot.

In other business, the commission held a public hearing on the proposed ordinance to allow manufactured homes within the agriculture and R-3 zones inside the city limits.

The commission had initially agreed to allow the houses in agriculture and R-3. They voted to once remove the agriculture zone since it is not considered a residential area.

When City Planner Richard Harper read the proposed ordinance aloud Thursday evening, the agriculture zone was still in.

The commission voted again to strike out agriculture zone before agreeing to forward the proposal to the city council for approval.

Soccer fields, parking lot getting wooden light poles

Wooden light poles will be used for the lights at Lake Leatherwood soccer field and parking lot. Metal poles will be used for the baseball field, if funding outside the Parks and Recreation Commission budget can be found.

Neighbors' opposition stops CUP for apartment units

An application for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a four-unit apartment house at 245 Spring St. was turned down by the Eureka Springs Planning Commission Thursday evening.

Teachers' salary increases start with new contracts

Eureka Springs School District will have to find more than $120,000 to pay state-mandated raises to teachers in the 2004-05 school year.

HIPC approves expanded permits without fees

The Holiday Island Planning Commission (HIPC) approved two changes to permits Friday without charging fees.