Fayetteville Councilors To Consider Land Transactions Sunday, December 02, 2001

Contracts for Sale, Purchase of Property by UA Tech Center

By Sharla Bardin
The Morning News/NWAonline.net

FAYETTEVILLE -- City aldermen will consider Tuesday the sale and purchase of land in south Fayetteville in a move that will further a partnership between the city and the University of Arkansas Genesis Technology Incubator. The City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall at 113 W. Mountain St.

Aldermen will review resolutions to accept contracts to sell land and buy property near Genesis, which is inside the university's Engineering Research Center.

The council also will consider a contract between the city and Bryan Walker III for the purchase of 32.91 acres of land on the east side of South School Street for $360,000. The land is across from the Genesis site.

That land is intended for the future development of a business and light industrial park in conjunction with the university and Genesis, according to city information.

In addition, councilors will review a contract between the city and the UA board of trustees for the sale of 4 acres of land on South School Street for $459,000. The land is adjacent to the Genesis site, and the university could use the land to expand that facility, Mayor Dan Coody said last week.

City officials have talked about wanting Fayetteville to have a stronger relationship with Genesis and to create a technology park around it and the Engineering Research Center.

Genesis offers low-cost office space and access to university laboratories and faculty for beginning technology companies.

As for the Walker property, John Maguire, the city's economic-development director, said last week that an electronics company has "indicated very strongly" an interest in that land.

Talk about creating a research and technology park is not new. Since the early 1990s, there has been an interest in such a venture on land west of the intersection of Interstate 540 and Arkansas 112. Development of that, however, has moved slowly because of concern about a wetland area and cost factors.

Lately, the focus has changed to where city officials started talking about joint efforts with Genesis for a research and technology venture.

As for the I-540 land, city officials are interested in seeing a business-technology park but there is still the question of whether the city will develop some lots and sell them or sell the whole parcel to developers, Maguire said.

In other items Tuesday, aldermen will consider:

• Ordinances approving rezoning requests for a 41-acre piece of property at 15th Street and Beechwood Avenue from heavy commercial and light-industrial use of the land to medium-density residential and thoroughfare commercial. The requests were submitted on behalf of Cynthia Beard and William M. Center. The ordinances have had a first reading by the council and were tabled at the Nov. 6 meeting.
• An annexation request for land north of Wedington Drive on the east side of 51st Street. The request is to annex approximately 30.99 acres in the planning area. The ordinance was left on the first reading at the Nov. 20 meeting. The application was submitted by Dave Jorgensen of Jorgensen and Associates on behalf of Mark Foster for property owned by Eugene Nottenkamper and Anthony Turchi.

In a related item, there is a rezoning request for the land, which is zoned for agricultural use. The request is to rezone to low-density residential use. The ordinance was left on the first reading at the Nov. 20 meeting.

• An ordinance for a vacation request for land at 2522 S. College. The request is to vacate an existing utility easement.
  
  The request was submitted by Dave Fulton on behalf of Gerald Tomlinson.
• A resolution authorizing up to $100,000 for compactors and roll-off style compactor containers for lease or purchase by commercial and industrial customers, and the purchase of up to $20,000 for roll-off containers for lease to solid-waste customers.
• A resolution authorizing the purchase of up to $55,008 for yard containers for the solid-waste division for lease or purchase of multifamily and small commercial customers.
• A $23,700 contract to Richard Utley for the operation of the Lake Sequoyah boat dock.
• A resolution authorizing the purchase of 150 replacement handguns for the police department.
• A $21,087 contract with Motorola Inc. for radio maintenance. The contract covers the radio equipment previously owned by the city but not covered under the warranty of the new system.
• A resolution authorizing TCA Cable Partners to continue to operate the cable communication system.
• A resolution approving a contract with Mitchell Oil Co. Inc. for the purchase of gasoline and diesel fuel for city vehicles and equipment and to provide a fueling facility.