The Planning Commission met July 14 but adjourned quickly after moving the items under old business to the next agenda, for the Aug. 11 meeting. Those agenda items include a revised tree ordinance, work on the Vision Plan, and goal setting.
Before convening as Planning, commissioners met as the Board of Zoning Adjustment to consider a tree-cut request at the Pine Mountain complex. Their request was approved, with commissioner Tom Buford voting against it. Buford did not object to the request on the agenda but argued about the impact of fill dirt in another area.
“Are you familiar with the excavating and landfill ordinance in Eureka Springs?” he asked Marshall Johnson and Johnson’s engineer. In response, they asked if their plan violated any ordinances. Buford again asked if they were familiar with the ordinance, and they again asked about any particular violations.
Buford explained concerns about a section of the property which will require some filling. He said the city’s ordinance does not allow filling on a slope with trees more than four inches in diameter. Johnson replied that the slope which will require fill dirt does not have any substantial trees and is covered in brush.
Commissioner Ann Tandy-Sallee reminded Buford that Johnson would still have to apply for a permit from the Building Inspector before proceeding on the slope. She reminded commissioners that the agenda item listed a specific tree cut in another area.
The cut was approved with Buford opposed. Johnson will return to the August meeting with a full plan for the project, and Tandy-Sallee asked him to check with the Building Inspector before then to ensure compliance with ordinances.