Jonesboro Board of Zoning Adjustments Meeting - August 19, 2025
Jonesboro Board of Zoning Adjustments Meeting - August 19, 2025
The Board of Zoning Adjustments met on August 19, 2025, at 1:30 PM at the Municipal Center. The board considered two variance requests: a fence height variance (VR-25-22) and a sidewalk requirement waiver (VR-25-23). Both were approved, one unanimously and one by a 3-1 vote.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from the July 15, 2025 meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- VR-25-22: Applicant Sherry Carter and contractor Wayne Wesley Parker testified that the existing 8-foot fence had been in place for 18 years and was being replaced with identical materials. They explained that the property is on a slope, and the taller fence is necessary for privacy to prevent neighboring houses from looking into the backyard.
- VR-25-23: Applicant Charles Fletcher and his son-in-law Brad Montgomery testified that the property is on North Culberhouse, where no sidewalks exist for miles. They requested a complete waiver of the sidewalk requirement, citing the rural nature, the presence of a tree line that would need to be removed, and the lack of connectivity.
Discussion Items
- VR-25-22 (Fence Height Variance): The board discussed that the fence was replacing an existing 8-foot fence that had been grandfathered. The contractor noted that the property is surrounded by family-owned land. No objections were raised. A motion to grant the variance was made and seconded.
- VR-25-23 (Sidewalk Waiver): The board debated whether it had the authority to waive the sidewalk fee in lieu. Staff clarified that the request came to BZA because the applicant wanted a complete waiver, not a fee in lieu. Board members noted that the MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Commission) had never waived a sidewalk fee since the ordinance took effect in 2017. The subdivision ordinance was discussed because the lot split created three lots, triggering sidewalk requirements. Brad Montgomery argued that the property had not been subdivided before. Board members expressed concern about forcing a sidewalk that would go nowhere and considered the unique rural circumstances. The board also discussed the estimated cost of the sidewalk ($16,000–$20,000) and the lack of future development in the area.
Key Outcomes
- VR-25-22: Motion to grant the variance passed unanimously. (All board members present voted in favor.)
- VR-25-23: Motion to grant the variance passed 3-1. Board members Miles, Cables, and Gilmore voted yes; Bailey voted no. (One board member, House, did not vote or was not called during the roll call.)
- The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, 130. You got 130? There we go. All right. Can we have a roll call for the people here? Uh Miles. Here. Bailey? Here. Apples. Here. Miller. Not Gilmore. Here. Okay. Need a motion to approve the minutes in the last meeting. So move. Second. Second. All right. Thank you. All right. The Carters. 2023 Pleasant Grove Road. Come on up here. There's a podium right here. Just come on up and tell us what you want to do. State your name and address, please. Sherry Carter, 2023, Pleasant Grove Road, Jonesville, Arkansas. I'm gonna let my contractor, because he's the one who dealt with all the calling in and everybody. This is Wayne Wesley Parker. Hey. Basically, back earlier this year, we were started replacing the pickets on her fence. It's an eight-foot fence. And I called up and was was um talked to the lady upstairs and explained what to her what we were doing, and she didn't she said I didn't, she didn't think I needed a permit for what we were doing. And so we went ahead and then Clint, the code enforcer come by here a while back and said, uh told one of the guys working for me, he said, telling to go get a permit and keep working. So that's what we did. So we kept working and built the fence. Uh redid the fence, and uh so when I went to get the permit, that's when it came up that it was an eight-foot tall fence, and and we need to get a variance for it. They don't have any, they have they own the property beside it. There's no other uh people that own the property around it. It's been there for what 18 years? Yeah, eighteen years, and they're kind of up on a slope, so people coming down pleasant grove. If they come down and they look up, it's it they would look in their backyard with a shorter fence. So the you would put eight foot tall on the uh outside on the outside and uh toward pleasant grove. How tall is that gonna be? That's eight foot. Eight foot toward the front of the house. Right. Or that may not be the front of the house, but it's it's the side of the house, yeah.
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