‘Big box supermarket’ planned for Chaffee Crossing

story by Aric Mitchell
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A special meeting of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) was called to order on Tuesday to address rezoning matters for two properties in the Chaffee Crossing district.

First on the agenda was a plot of 10 acres formerly used as the Army’s temporary maintenance facility. The FCRA had agreed to let the Army use the property at no charge for as long as it was needed, but since the Army is now in its new permanent facility, use has reverted back to the Trust.

FCRA Executive Director Ivy Owen said that tenant prospect Petro Gold was looking to lease 5.5 acres, but in order to be in compliance with the city of Fort Smith, they needed the Trust to pass a motion that the land be rezoned from “mixed use business park” to “mixed use industrial.” Fort Smith does not allow rezoning on less than 10 acres at a time, so even though Petro Gold is proposing to use only 5.5 acres, the Trust was forced to vote on 10. The motion passed unanimously.

Petro Gold plans to use the rail system for the transportation of used compressor oil. The materials will be loaded from trucks to rail cars and shipped out with steel containment present at all times to avoid spillage.

The second matter on the voting agenda was a request that 20 acres be rezoned from “mixed use residential/commercial office” to “commercial office” at the Chad Colley and Massard Road intersection. The city of Fort Smith needed the FCRA to pass the measure before Tuesday night’s board meeting to approve a pending building permit. Owen said a “big box supermarket” would be going up in the location, though he did not specify the name of the business. This measure also passed unanimously.

“This is the first land use change that we’ve had to do because of the Unified Development Ordinance,” Owen said. “We’ve had to add a step or two to our process to accommodate, but in the long run it’s going to benefit us.”

The UDO is a comprehensive set of rules and regulations designed to improve the look and function of residential, commercial, and other physical infrastructure in the city of Fort Smith. It went into effect on Aug. 12, 2009. Some of the examples of changes present in the UDO include:
• Parking lots for commercial and retail buildings must be pushed to the back of the building;
• Design elements of buildings are enforced to avoid metal building construction—especially on commercial corridors; and,
• Signage standards require smaller and lower signs that are better incorporated into landscaping.

To close, Owen brought the Trust’s attention to 12 empty rail cars parked in front of the FCRA building. The rail cars belong to Fort Smith Railroad and are the first arrivals in a new revenue stream for Chaffee Crossing. The FCRA is allowing rail cars to dock at their facilities, which can hold an estimated 85 rail cars at a time. The Trust is using a three-pronged approach to revenue, which consists of shippers being charged a fee in, a fee out, and a daily fee. Owen estimated that if filled to maximum capacity, it could generate as much as $15,000-17,000 per month for Chaffee Crossing.

“A lot of it fluctuates with the economy. When the economy is bad, the rail cars pile up,” Owen said. “Back in the deep recession, there were tons of rail cars, but we couldn’t store them because we didn’t have our track upgraded. So we rushed and rushed to get this done. Then the economy started to improve again, so I didn’t think our potential was that great. Then, these show up yesterday and we’re being told there are more on the way.”

The regularly monthly meeting of the FCRA is scheduled for June 16.