Springdale council adopts tiered landscape rules for village commercial zone; members raise height and design concerns

On May 13 the Springdale Town Council adopted an ordinance amending section 10‑18‑4 of the town code to create tiered landscape and open‑space requirements for properties in the village commercial zone. The adopted table sets minimum landscaped or natural open space at 60% for parcels a half‑acre or larger, 50% for parcels between a quarter‑acre and a half‑acre, and 40% for parcels less than a quarter‑acre.

Applicant Noel (Paul) Benson presented his request, saying the tiered approach would aid small village commercial property owners who struggle to meet current standards. Benson asked for a 5% tolerance around thresholds to allow marginal cases to access a lower tier; council discussed the tolerance but declined to adopt a universal 5% rule because of code complexity and concerns about opening inconsistencies across multiple ordinances.

Councilmembers who supported the change said it preserves village character while improving development feasibility for small lots. One councilmember (Kyla) voted no, citing concerns that reduced landscape requirements could encourage larger, denser development unless the council also addresses building height and intensity. The council asked the planning commission to study building scale and height in the village commercial zone—particularly along State Route 9—and to return with recommendations.

Why it matters: The change aims to make modest redevelopment of small commercial parcels more feasible without broadly changing standards for larger parcels. Council members signaled interest in complementary work on height and visual scale to avoid unintended increases in perceived density.

Next steps: Planning staff will record the ordinance, and the planning commission will be asked to revisit village commercial building scale and height issues for properties visible from SR‑9.