Annexation approved for Owens Corning’s new plant in Fort Smith

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance allowing rezoning to a planned zoning district (PZD) on property recently annexed into the city that will allow for the expansion of Owens Corning in Fort Smith.

The PZD will be for 74.44 acres, located at 5520 Planters Road and 9015 Highway 45, east of Highway 45 and south of Planters Road, and will allow the southern expansion of Owens Planning with permitted land uses. The vote was held Tuesday night at the Board’s regular meeting.

“This is a companion piece to the annexation approved May 18,” said Fort Smith attorney Dalton Person, speaking on behalf of Owens Corning.

On May 18, the board agreed to annex 111.16 acres of property located south of Planters Road and east of Arkansas Highway 45. Owens Corning Composite Materials, LLC, FM Ft. Smith, LLC, and Stephens Land Holdings, LLC, owners of the said property, requested the annexation

Toledo, Ohio-based Owens Corning announced in February it is building a new 550,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Fort Smith that will replace the existing plant the company built in 1984. The estimated $115 million project is expected to add five jobs.

The board also approved an ordinance rezoning property at 8100 Zero Street to an extraterritorial jurisdiction PZD. The subject property is 26.25 acres west of Massard Road and south of South Zero Street. Maggie Rice, director of development services, said the rezoning will allow ArcBest to expand services.