🐄 Shewmaker Family Proposes 463-Acre Ranch Consolidation, Seeks Easement Waiver
One of the largest land actions on Bella Vista’s recent docket isn’t for a subdivision, commercial center, or housing project—it’s for cattle.
The Shewmaker Family Trust, long-time landholders in eastern Bella Vista’s planning area, have proposed combining four separate tracts into two large parcels totaling 463 acres off East McNelly Road. The consolidation is intended for estate purposes and continued agricultural use, with no development planned.
However, the applicants are also requesting a waiver from Bella Vista’s standard easement requirements, which normally require:
7.5 feet along all side property lines
20 feet along front and rear boundaries
Their justification? The land’s topography makes drainage easements impractical, and the utility franchise rights could place an undue burden on property owners if development isn’t anticipated. The city’s own code allows for such waivers when development is not part of the plan and no future subdivision is immediately expected.
City staff did not issue a formal recommendation but indicated that the waiver could be justified under Section 107-35, provided it wouldn't affect adjacent parcels or future land use decisions.
