FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A new housing development that would affect the Crystal Springs neighborhood off North Raven Lane was on the agenda at a Fayetteville City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
The housing development was proposed by a company called Next Chapter Neighborhoods. Next Chapter Neighborhoods builds rental communities that feature one- to four- bedroom homes and a slew of amenities. The housing development currently has neighborhoods in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Kansas City, Missouri, and Ridgeland, South Carolina, and they have now set their sights on Fayetteville.
Next Chapter Neighborhoods’ Vice President of Development, Andrew Malzer, came before the Fayetteville City Council and pitched the neighborhood to the city council members. Malzer gave a presentation of what the development would look like and the type of community Next Chapter Neighborhoods would bring to Fayetteville.
The development plans call for building 276 homes on the land between the Crystal Springs Neighborhood on North Raven Lane and Clabber Creek Trail requesting to put seven units on each acre of land. The lot can accommodate up to 500 homes, which could help the housing crisis in Fayetteville, but Next Chapter Neighborhoods prioritizes quality of living over density which is why they decided to downzone the property, Malzer said.
The rental community would also feature a pickleball court, a pool, fitness center, dog park and clubhouse. Even though the homes are for rent, the neighborhood hosts community gatherings to make it feel like a true community and not just a space you rent, Malzer said. Other Next Chapter Neighborhood communities have hosted events such as ice cream socials, porch of the month, pumpkin carving contests and more.
After the development plan was presented, the floor was then open to city council members to share their thoughts.
“Honestly, I’m a little confused about this development. As I looked at the photos, it doesn’t feel very Fayetteville, I’ll be real honest,” council member Sarah Moore said.
Moore had a few concerns about the development. She brought up different points such as stormwater, how there would be less housing and more amenities on the development site and how that would look to taxpayers. She also brought up a major concern about rent. Moore was curious on what kind of individual the rent was targeted at due to the prices.
During the meeting, Malzer shared a presentation with the city council and audience members and it showed the projected rent rates for the development.
The rent would start at $1,600 for a one-bedroom home, $1,800 for a two-bedroom home, $2,000 for a three-bedroom home and $2,200 for a four-bedroom home. An applicant would be required to make two and a half times the rent to be eligible for a Next Chapter rental.
Malzer referred to his presentation to address Moore’s concerns.
“There’s a lot of language in there [the presentation] that talks specifically about people who are looking for alternative housing options and that people all don’t want to live in regular single-family homes,” Malzer said.
After a few comments from other council members, the floor was then open for opinions from the community.
Community member Wesley Bates said the neighborhood sounded “tone deaf” based on conversations that have been had locally. Bates doesn’t believe that downzoning is the right decision for that area and that there isn’t much diversity despite that being one of the main points in Malzer’s presentation.
“It just looks like a single-family neighborhood that nobody can own a house in,” Bates said.
Another member of the community living near Underwood Park, Jim Erwin, also shared his opinion at the council meeting.
Erwin told the council that when the Underwoods bought the property, the neighborhood voted against a subdivision. They were told that the site would be neighborhood services such as medical clinics and lawyers offices. Erwin doesn’t feel that the Underwoods lived up to the deal, he said.
Erwin also brought up affordable housing. Erwin mentioned how he also has a rental property and keeps it at an affordable rate and believes that the proposed rental prices for the neighborhood match should student housing rental rates at $600 a person.
“I don’t feel like this is a great use of this piece of property. I ask that you do not allow it to be rezoned for that,” Erwin said.
The council decided to wait for additional feedback and decide the issue at a later council meeting.