Rezoning approved for new restaurant

story by Luke Hobbs
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The Fort Smith Board of Directors voted unanimously on Tuesday (June 7) to approve a rezoning plan that will allow a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant with outdoor dining to be built at 6550 Rogers Ave.

The rezoning was necessary for only a part of the lot where the restaurant is to be built. The front portion of the lot, which is directly adjacent to Rogers Avenue, is already in a commercial zone. But the back portion, which is adjacent to South 65th Street, is in a residential zone, and thus had to be rezoned before the restaurant could be built.

The plan for rezoning, along with an updated development plan for the restaurant, was approved May 10 by the City Planning Commission. The original development proposal from lot owner Tim Whitten had raised concerns among residents of South 66th Street, who said they worried the restaurant’s outdoor patio would bring excessive noise to the neighborhood. In response, Whitten redesigned the proposal, moving the outdoor patio to the front of the restaurant along Rogers Avenue.

City Director Kevin Settle asked project engineer Curt Jones how soon the restaurant would be built if rezoning was immediately approved. Jones did not have an exact date but said it would be sometime this summer. Director George Catsavis asked Jones whether it was true that the restaurant will bring “50-60 new jobs” to Fort Smith. Jones said the figure was approximately correct.

The ordinance adopted by the Board of Directors contains two conditions for the restaurant’s construction:
No commercial access from the lot to South 65th Street is permitted. Jones said that there will, however, need to be some access for maintenance.

Any changes to the development plan or a new development plan must be resubmitted to the Planning Commission for its approval prior to the issuance of a new building permit.

Buffalo Wild Wings is based in Minneapolis and operates more than 600 restaurants in 41 states. The company has three restaurants in northwest Arkansas and two in central Arkansas.