Planning commission examines rezone request

The planning commission examined a request to rezone a reserve property at the intersection of Trafalgar Road and Castleford Drive from P-1 conservation district to R-1 single-family residential.

The request was for a 9.93-acre reserve property as described in the Trafalgar subdivision.

Senior planner Derek Linn explained the applicant, Cooper Communities, indicated a prospective buyer would like to place a single-family structure on the property.

It’s important to note that, on a rezone, the commission makes a recommendation and the city council makes the final decision, he explained. The commission is expected to vote on this matter during its Monday, Dec. 14, regular meeting.

The current P-1 designation is intended to conserve natural areas, he explained.

Linn said that some of the property is in the FEMA floodplain, though not all of it.

Based on a quick estimate from Benton County data, Linn said that the property has roughly 2 acres of land outside the floodplain.

The parcel does have street frontage on Castleford Drive and Trafalgar Road, he said.

Staff recommended rezoning portions of the property outside the floodplain, conditioned on a survey verifying exactly where the floodplain is, while lands in the floodplain remain designated P-1 conservation.

Commission chair Daniel Ellis said that a great deal of study would have to be performed for any development on the lot.