Combined Committee of the Whole and City Council Meeting - April 14, 2026

The City Council of Bentonville, Arkansas, met in a combined Committee of the Whole and regular session on April 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting included proclamations recognizing emergency and animal services personnel, a consent agenda with routine approvals, a public hearing for an alley vacation, and action on numerous planning items, including the adoption of a new Community Code, Zoning Map, and overlay districts, as well as a development agreement for the Central and Battlefield project. Council also considered several rezonings and property plats.

Proclamations

• National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week (April 12–18, 2026): Recognized the Bentonville Emergency Communications Center. The proclamation noted the center handled 110,840 telephone calls and dispatched 59,459 police, fire, and EMS calls in the past year.
• National Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week (April 12–18, 2026): Recognized Bentonville Animal Services employees, including Shannon Gabbard, Tyler Shambles, Logan Weber, Emily Kearns, Kristen Teague, Kim Roberts, and new officer Sky Brown.

Consent Calendar

The following items were approved unanimously (7-0):

• Resolution authorizing purchase of evidence storage system from Patterson Pope, Inc. ($159,064.84).
• Resolution for a 3-year Enterprise Agreement with ESRI for GIS software ($180,900).
• Resolution extending the temporary display of artwork by Tim Ernst at City Hall at no cost.
• Resolutions setting public hearings on April 28, 2026, for one right-of-way vacation (VAC26-0005) and six utility easement vacations (VAC26-0009, 0012, 0015, 0022, 0024).
• Appointment of Council Member Beckie Seba as ex-officio to the Active Transportation Advisory Board.
• Resolution authorizing an agreement with Your Total Fitness Shop for fitness equipment ($107,392.13).
• Resolution authorizing sales tax remittance for two Husqvarna Robotic Mowers ($4,689.35).
• Resolution awarding bid IFB-26-01 for a 2026 Cab and Chassis to Industrial Truck Equipment ($120,978.00).
• Resolution authorizing Mayor to sign a quitclaim deed with Lorane, LLC.
• Resolution declaring various items as surplus for landfill disposal.
• Utility Board resolution authorizing sales tax remittance for a heavy duty forklift ($10,339.80).

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were received during the public hearing on the alley vacation ordinance (item 6).
• On the Central and Battlefield Development Agreement (item 16), three speakers registered. Laura Duncan spoke in opposition, relaying a personal emergency response story and urging the Council to prioritize traffic safety. Leon Fletcher spoke in opposition, questioning the clarity of the agreement and expressing concern that the fee-in-lieu could be used for other purposes. Developer’s attorney Bill Watkins addressed the Council, explaining the contract’s protections and the developer’s history of good-faith negotiation.
• During the adoption of the Bentonville Community Code (item 17), an online speaker expressed concern that a parcel on Central Avenue was not zoned as suburban residential as designated in the future land use plan, and worried about the potential for commercial development and building height.

Discussion Items

• Central and Battlefield Development Agreement: Council members engaged in extensive debate over traffic mitigation, the $3 million fee-in-lieu, and the city’s commitment to infrastructure improvements. Council Member Acree sought specific language tying the improvements to a timeline, while Council Member Hook noted unresolved traffic issues on Battlefield and Central and expressed skepticism that the agreement would deliver solutions. Council Member Sanchez argued that the fee gives the city flexibility to address future traffic needs as more developments and data emerge. The City Engineer acknowledged that a final design for the intersection is not yet ready. The resolution passed 5–2, with Acree and Hook voting no.
• Adoption of the Bentonville Community Code: Staff clarified that the code replaces the previous zoning framework with a form-based system, including transition zones between different intensities. A specific concern about a property on Central Avenue (currently zoned RO) was addressed: the code translates RO to T4.2, which allows slightly more commercial uses and height than RO but is less intensive than other downtown districts. The code was adopted 7–0.

Key Outcomes

• Approved minutes of March 10 and March 31, 2026 (7-0).
• Suspended rules requiring three readings of ordinances; all items read by title only (7-0).
• Consent agenda approved (7-0).
• Ordinance vacating alley right‑of‑way VAC26-0004 approved (7-0).
• Lot Split – Little Osage Farms (LS26-0002) approved (6-0-1, Burckart abstained).
• Final Plat – Walmart Campus Phase 21 (FP25-0010) approved (7-0).
• Property Line Adjustment – Fairview Heights (PLA25-0016) approved (7-0).
• Lot Split – Clark’s Addition (LS26-0005) approved (7-0).
• Lot Split – Plumley’s Place (LS25-0038) approved (7-0).
• Rezoning – Inclusion Reality (RZ26-0008) R-1 to DN-4 approved (7-0).
• Rezoning – Pacific Avenue Real Holdings (RZ26-0009) R-1 to DN-3 approved (7-0).
• Rezoning – Phillips (RZ26-0010) R-1 to DN-3 approved (7-0).
• Rezoning – Chen & Ehret Real Holdings (RZ26-0011) R-1 to DN-3 approved (7-0).
• Rezoning – Marvin Gardens Real Holdings (RZ26-0012) R-1 to DN-3 approved (7-0).
• Rezoning – LoxBlox, LLC (RZ26-0013) R-1 to DN-3 approved (6-1, Hook no).
• Rezoning – Pennsylvania Ave Real Holdings (RZ26-0014) R-1 to DN-3 approved (6-1, Hook no).
• Rezoning – Pennsylvania Ave Real Holdings (RZ26-0015) R-1 to DN-3 approved (7-0).
• Rezoning – Ultra Homes (RZ26-0016) R-1 to R-2 approved (7-0).
• Rezoning – Kuhlman Properties (RZ26-0020) A-1 to C-3 approved (7-0).
• Central and Battlefield Development Agreement approved (5-2, Acree and Hook no).
• Bentonville Community Code adopted (7-0).
• Bentonville Zoning Map adopted (7-0).
• Downtown Neighborhood Overlay District Map adopted (7-0).
• Downtown Center Overlay District Map adopted (7-0).

Committee Reports

• Council Member Hook reported the Tree and Landscape committee’s Spring Tree Giveaway distributed over 500 trees, and thanked staff for organizing the Celebrate America street clean-up.
• The Mayor asked Council members to indicate preferences regarding publication of city-issued phone numbers and home addresses on the city website; consensus was to remove addresses.
• Meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.