Protecting Neighborhoods

Having been president of my neighborhood association for over a decade, I know firsthand the importance of protecting our residential communities from unwanted commercial and industrial encroachment.  

Here's a case in point.  By now you have probably seen the 200-foot-tall water storage tank behind the Cornerstone Shopping Center here in Hot Springs.  Our hometown newspaper, the Sentinel-Record, describes the tank as being "... a dominating fixture visible for miles."  Now imagine having that water tank as your next-door neighbor (which is equivalent in height to a twenty-story building).  Originally, city staff wanted to place that water tower in the middle of a residential community, less than 100 feet from the nearest house.  

Although I do not live in that area, I understood the construction of the water tower and its placement would forever harm nearby homeowners.  I worked with the area residents to express their concerns to the Hot Springs Board of Directors.  Fortunately, a slim 4-3 majority of the City Board voted to put the water tower behind the Cornerstone Shopping Center rather than in the middle of a residential neighborhood.  

In my own neighborhood, the Whittington Valley, there was a proposal to open privately-run halfway house for forty-eight felons.  Being a halfway house, the convicts would be let out into the community during the day.  The project did not belong in a residential neighborhood, especially since the proposed site was next to a popular public park.  Even though Erin Holliday is the City Director representing my neighborhood, and despite loud and urgent pleas from her constituents to vote against the project, Holliday voted twice in favor of opening the halfway house.  Fortunately, after a long and protracted fight with city officials, my neighbors and I prevailed and the project was rejected.

Most recently, I have spoken out against proposed changes to the Hot Springs zoning code, including a proposal to allow mobile homes on any residential lot without community input or review.  Another proposed change to the code would eliminate the requirement for off-street parking for commercial developments.  Having experienced the problems with traffic and parking in our downtown commercial corridor, we all know this is a bad idea.  So why would the city adopt a zoning rule that will create this same problem elsewhere in our city?  If enacted, these proposals will forever undermine the unique character of our neighborhoods and our city.

As City Director, I will act to protect our residential neighborhoods from unwanted commercial and industrial encroachment.  I also will insist on commonsense zoning rules.  This starts by ensuring that the city’s zoning code places a priority on enhancing our community and that harmful proposals are rejected.