Bella Vista weighs Spanker Ridge rezoning after earlier chicken coop and fence requests
A Bella Vista property owner is asking the city to rezone 8206 Spanker Ridge Drive from Residential Estate to Agricultural Preservation in a case that grew out of earlier requests involving a chicken coop and a front-yard fence. The request is scheduled as a public hearing before the Planning Commission on April 13, with staff recommending approval. Because this is a rezoning, the Planning Commission would first make a recommendation before the item moves on to the City Council for final action.
The property is a 3.4-acre tract in Spanker Creek Estates on the southeast side of Bella Vista. According to the staff report, the parcel is currently zoned Residential Estate and is surrounded by Residential Estate zoning to the north and west, while land to the east and south lies outside city limits. The city’s future land use map identifies the area as future neighborhoods, and Spanker Ridge Drive is classified as a non-classified street.
What makes the case more interesting is how it got here. Staff says the applicants first submitted two variance requests in November 2025: one to allow a movable chicken coop in the front yard because of topographical constraints, and another to allow a front-yard fence taller than the normal three-foot limit. Those requests were later withdrawn. After discussion with the Planning Commission and follow-up coordination with city staff, the owners instead chose to seek a rezoning that would better fit how they want to use the property.
In a letter included with the packet, the owners say they want the Agricultural Preservation zoning so they can use a portion of the front area for a chicken coop and install fencing that matches the surrounding rural character. They argue the property’s acreage, setting, and intended use are more in line with nearby land patterns than with a more conventional residential lot. The packet also includes photos and maps showing nearby large-lot properties, fencing examples, and the site layout.
The complication is that the property does not fully meet the normal minimum lot size for the requested district. Staff notes that Agricultural Preservation generally requires at least five acres, while this parcel is only 3.4 acres. Even so, staff says the tract generally meets the intent of the code because the surrounding development pattern remains low-density and the requested district would preserve the character of the area. Staff also says the uses allowed in Agricultural Preservation support the goals of Bella Vista’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan as they relate to low-density residential development.
The case is a good example of a broader land-use question that comes up around the edges of growing cities: when a property still functions more like a semi-rural homestead than a typical neighborhood lot, should the zoning reflect that reality even if the parcel falls short of a technical acreage threshold? Bella Vista planners appear open to that argument here, at least at the staff level, and the Planning Commission will now decide whether to send that recommendation on to City Council.
