APPENDIX D - LAND USE

Transcription

1 APPENDIX D - LAND USE

2 APPENDIX D LAND USE Various land use issues must be taken into consideration in analyzing the impacts of a proposed transportation project. This appendix presents additional information on existing land use, public facilities and services, land use plans, and existing transportation plans. Existing Land Use There are a variety of land uses within the project Study Area, depicted in Figure D-1. The western portion of the Study Area includes the downtown core of Bentonville. In downtown Bentonville, commercial establishments are primarily located along the main streets, including the north/south streets of South Walton Boulevard, SW A Street, and SE J Street as well as the east/west streets of Central Avenue, SE 8 th Street and SE 14 th Street. Land uses in the areas between these main streets primarily include single-family residential with some scattered one- or two-story apartment buildings. Specific land uses along 8 th Street include a mix of large commercial buildings, single family residences, small apartment buildings and industrial facilities. The Wal-Mart Home Office is located on 8 th Street at the western end of the Study Area. There is a stretch of residences along 8 th Street between SE A Street and SE E Street. From SE E Street east to where 8 th Street terminates at Moberly Lane, land use is primarily industrial and commercial, including several other Wal-Mart facilities and a vacant Tyson facility. The eastern portion of the Study Area also includes a variety of land uses. There is a large Wal-Mart facility located between Moberly Lane and Highway 71. A residential development of single-family homes is located north of where 8 th Street terminates and west of Highway 71. East of Highway 71 is the Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) property (see Figure D-1), which includes several buildings as well as a large area of open space. The open space area includes a forested nature preserve that is currently used for science experiments, rope course training, and open space preservation (Buckley and Lay, 2008). North of the college property, land uses include agricultural open space with singlefamily residential areas. Agricultural land is located along both sides of Highway 71, to both the south and north of Central Avenue. FAP Number HHP2-3314(1) D-1 AHTD Job Number

3 Public Facilities and Services Figure D-2 is a map displaying the locations of various public facilities located in the project Study Area. Facilities include schools, places of worship, cemeteries, and other public buildings. The Study Area is located in the Bentonville Public School District. There are three elementary schools, two middle schools, one junior high school, and one high school in the Study Area vicinity. The Helen R. Walton Children s Enrichment Center is also located in the Study Area, as well as Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC). NWACC is the only community college in the northwest Arkansas region (Buckley and Lay, 2008). There are several churches and places of worship located in the Study Area, as well as several cemeteries. These facilities are identified on Figure D-2. Additional public facilities in the Study Area include the Bentonville Public Library, the Bentonville Fire Department, the Bentonville Police Department, City Hall, and various other city buildings. The Benton County Courthouse and additional county buildings are also located in the Study Area, as Bentonville is the Benton County seat. The parks and trails located in the Study Area are displayed on Figure D-3. Parks located in the Study Area include Durham Place Park, Dave Peel Park, Town Branch Park, Train Station Park and City Square Park. These are all small neighborhood and urban parks. Memorial Park, also located in the Study Area, is a 73-acre park that includes an aquatic center, tennis and basketball courts, soccer and baseball fields, and various other recreational amenities (Bentonville, Parks). Four multi-use trails extend through the Study Area, which include the 1.1mile long Downtown Trail, the 2.5 mile long Town Branch Trail, the 2 mile long Moberly Trail, and the 1 mile long Memorial Park Trail. The 1.1 mile long J Street Urban Trail terminates within the Study Area, at Central Avenue. The proposed Heritage Trail also extends through the Study Area, running east/west along Central Avenue and north/south along SW I Street. The Heritage Trail corresponds with the Civil War Trail that is part of the Northwest Arkansas Heritage Trail Plan. The Northwest Arkansas Heritage Trail Plan is a regional trail plan that spans Benton and Washington counties (NWARPC, Heritage Trail Plan) and encompasses section of existing city and county trails. An additional public service that can be impacted by transportation projects includes public transportation. Ozark Regional Transit operates a bus route in Bentonville. The route crosses through the Study Area and serves places like NWACC, Wal-Mart, and several medical centers (ORT, Bentonville Routes). FAP Number HHP2-3314(1) D-2 AHTD Job Number

4 72 R:\Bentonville\47438\GIS\DataFiles\ArcDocs\Revised_Figures_June_2011\Figure_D1_LandUse.mxd 6/29/2011 N Walton Blvd SW I St 0 1,200 2,400 Feet 8th Street 102 N S Walton Blvd SW B St SW C St SW A St Study Area Boundary 8th Street Interchange Location 8th Street Corridor Main St SE D St SE C St SE B St SE A St SE E St 14th St MDX Property Land Use/Zone Agriculture 112 Commercial Downtown SE J St Central Ave SE P St Industrial Residential 72 Moberly Lane E. Central Ave NWACC Hudson Rd 71 Water Tower Rd Note: Existing land uses are synonymous with the current City of Bentonville zoning map. Lyndal Heights and Pleasant View Estates 62 Figure D-1 Existing Land Use

5 8th Street SE Water Tower Road SE Moberly Lane SE J Street SW A Street SE A Street Central Ave. vd Bl on. SE C Street alt W S Main Street S R:\Bentonville\47438\GIS\DataFiles\ArcDocs\Revised_Figures_June_2011\Figure_D2_PublicFacilities.mxd 6/29/ th Street 540 Source: USDA NAIP 2006 Aerial Photography. LEGEND 2,000 0 Feet 2,000 Study Area NORTH Place of Worship Cemetery School City and County Facilities City Hall Courthouse Fire Department Library Police Department Figure D-2 Public Facilities

6 Land Use Plans The following plans and codes are applicable to land use within the Study Area. City of Bentonville General Plan The General Plan, adopted May 22, 2007, serves as a general policy guide for directing land development within the City of Bentonville. The plan maps out the desired future land uses in Bentonville. Based on this plan, existing land use patterns within the project Study Area will be maintained, including commercial, industrial, and low density residential. The plan does, however, lay out the addition of mixed use and downtown mixed use residential land uses along the Main Street and 8 th Street Corridors. City of Bentonville Downtown Master Plan In an effort to guide revitalize downtown Bentonville as the community center, the City adopted the Downtown Master Plan. The downtown redevelopment district boundaries extend generally from NW 7 th Street south to SW 14 th Street, and from SE J Street west to South Walton Boulevard. The plan makes recommendations for enhancing the downtown area through aesthetic improvements as well as investment in public infrastructure. The Downtown Master Plan identifies the intersection of SW 8 th Street and SW A Street as a primary place-making intersection in Bentonville. In an effort to give visitors a sense of being downtown in an urban setting and to differentiate [the intersection] from other areas in the city, the plan recommends a conceptual development plan for the intersection (City of Bentonville, Downtown Master Plan, p. 30). Development plans include a fire station in the southwest corner of the intersection, the construction of which was recently completed. In addition, construction of a new office building has been completed in the northwest corner of the intersection. The plan recommends enhancing the urban form of this area through the construction of additional mixed-use, multi-story buildings as well as sidewalks that extend to the street curb. The Downtown Master Plan also recommends improvements to 8 th Street, including upgrades to curb, guttering, and sidewalks. The plan proposes upgrading 8 th Street, from South Walton Boulevard to SE J Street, to a four-lane boulevard. Furthermore, the plan suggests a trolley route to circle through downtown, as well as identifies proposed trails and pedestrian paths. City of Bentonville Master Trails Plan Bentonville adopted the Master Trails Plan on February 14, 2006 with the goal of establishing a local network of natural and urban trails. The plan also aims to integrate this local trail network into the FAP Number HHP2-3314(1) D-5 AHTD Job Number

7 existing and planned network of regional trails. Figure D-3, Recreational Facilities and Public Lands, is a map depicting proposed trails. Planned future trails that cross through the Study Area include extensions of the Downtown Urban Trail and Town Branch Urban Trail. A portion of the Town Branch Trail currently runs along 8 th Street. The City plans to extend the Town Branch Trail along the railroad tracks and under Highway 71 to provide access to the NWACC. Sidewalks would be constructed along both sides of 8 th Street to provide additional connections to the Moberly Trail along Moberly Lane. The proposed Heritage Trail also extends through the Study Area, running east/west along Central Avenue and north/south along SW I Street. The Heritage Trail corresponds with the Civil War Trail that is part of the Northwest Arkansas Heritage Trail Plan. The Northwest Arkansas Heritage Trail Plan is a regional bicycle/pedestrian trail plan that spans Benton and Washington counties (NWARPC, Heritage Trail Plan). The trails within the plan place an emphasis on historical routes within the region which function to provide recreational access to the many historic sites that occur throughout the region. City of Bentonville Master Street Plan The City of Bentonville s Master Street Plan classifies Walton Boulevard and Central Avenue as major arterials, with an 84-foot minimum right of way. Moberly Lane, SE J Street, SW A Street and 8 th Street are classified as minor arterials with a 72-foot minimum right of way. Main Street and SE C Street are classified as collectors with a 60-foot minimum right of way. FAP Number HHP2-3314(1) D-6 AHTD Job Number

8 North Trail Tiger Trail Park Springs Park J Street Trail Compton Gardens Memorial Park Trail Memorial Park 71 City Square Dave Peel Park Town Branch Trail Central Ave. R:\Bentonville\47438\GIS\DataFiles\ArcDocs\Revised_Figures_June_2011\Figure_D3_PublicLands.mxd 7/8/2011 Lake Bentonville Park S Walton Blvd. Proposed Right of Way SW A Street Downtown Trail S Main Street Public Parks Components of the Northwest Arkansas Heritage Trail Plan SE A Street Train Station Park 8th Street Durham Place Park SE C Street 14th Street Bentonville Trails Existing Trails Proposed Trails SE J Street Town Branch Trail Railroad SE Moberly Lane Bike Trail 540 Bike Trail SE Water Tower Road ,700 Feet N Figure D-3 Recreational Facilities and Public Lands Sources: USDA NAIP Aerial Photograph for Benton County, Arkansas (2009); ESRI; Burns & McDonnell

9 Regional Transportation Plans Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study (NARTS) 2030 Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Plan The 2030 Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Plan, completed in 2006, serves as a guide for transportation planning throughout Benton and Washington Counties (NARTS, 2030 Plan). The plan identifies and prioritizes transportation projects and establishes a plan for a regional arterial network. The 2030 Proposed Network Map identifies 8 th Street from South Walton Boulevard to Moberly Lane as a future four lane road with an extension to Highway 71 (NARTS, 2030 Map). Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study (NARTS) Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) A project s inclusion in the TIP establishes it as a priority for transportation improvement in the Northwest Arkansas region and enables the project to receive federal funds (NARTS, TIP). The 8 th Street Improvement Project is included in the NARTS TIP and is earmarked for federal funding in fiscal year Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) Master Plan The NWACC Master Plan, updated in 2009, includes plans for development for a large portion of the campus. NWACC is constructing a new building, the Global Business Development Center, located directly to the northeast of the existing Shewmaker Center (identified as Future GBDC on map in Appendix D-1) (Buckley and Lay, 2008). NWACC is also acquiring two small buildings that are located adjacent to the college. Given the rapid pace of growth of the college, NWACC plans to continue to develop their property in the immediate future, as planned for in the Master Plan. This leaves only the northern portion of their existing property for future development beyond the year 2015 (see Appendix D- 1). FAP Number HHP2-3314(1) D-8 AHTD Job Number

10 REFERENCES CITED Buckley, Debi, VP for Finance & Administration, NWACC and Jim Lay, Head of Construction, NWACC. Phone Interview. January 28, Churchwell, Mike, Lead Transportation Engineer and Shelli Rushing, Planning Services Manager. City of Bentonville, Arkansas. Meeting. January 16, City of Bentonville, Arkansas. Downtown Master Plan. [Accessed December 2007]. City of Bentonville, Arkansas. General Plan. Adopted May 22, [Accessed December 2007]. City of Bentonville, Arkansas. Master Trail Plan. Adopted February 14, [Accessed December 2007]. City of Bentonville, Arkansas. Parks Department. [Accessed December 2007]. Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC). Master Plan. January 12, Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC). Northwest Arkansas Heritage Trail Plan. [Accessed January 2008]. Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study (NARTS). Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Adopted August 15, [Accessed December 2007]. Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study (NARTS) Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Plan. April 20, [Accessed December 2007]. Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study (NARTS) Proposed Network Map. [Accessed December 2007]. Ozark Regional Transit (ORT). Bentonville Routes. [Accessed December 2007]. FAP Number HHP2-3314(1) D-9 AHTD Job Number

11 APPENDIX D-1 Exhibit from the NWACC Master Plan FAP Number HHP2-3314(1) D-10 AHTD Job Number

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