The owners of Pediatrics Plus are appealing their PUD request, which was rejected by the Conway Planning Commission in December, to the Conway City Council.
The appeal will be heard during the council’s first meeting of 2013, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the District Court Building.
The Clubhouse, a proposed indoor play area that needed a planned unit development amendment to set up shop in the Scherman Heights PUD at 575 Club Lane, was met with fierce resistance from two homeowners groups, the Windcrest Subdivision Homeowners and the Scherman Heights Homeowners, during the planning commission’s meeting.
The pleas from the homeowners to deny the request coupled with the commission’s own investigations persuaded the denial, which was 7-2. Commission members Mark Lewis and Anne Tucker voted against the denial.
Owners of Pediatrics Plus, who would also own The Clubhouse, have filed their appeal to be heard by the council, and all parties interested will be able to be heard at the meeting.
Citing traffic and noise concerns, several residents of the two subdivisions voiced opposition to the proposed commercial recreational facility, which would have been started by the owners of Pediatrics Plus, a center for developmentally disabled children. The location of The Clubhouse would have been next to Pediatrics Plus on Lot 7D.
Ken Holder, who represented both groups of homeowners, said rezoning for the new facility would cause a “decline in the value of our homes. This is not appropriate use of the facility. This facility does not represent what it was originally built as.”
The Scherman Heights PUD is zoned mainly as quiet office, and commissioner Chris Steplock pointed out that while he thought the original idea of The Clubhouse was a “no brainer,” he voted to deny the request because of the possible location of the center.
The Clubhouse is proposed to be an indoor commercial recreational facility serving young children. Those bring the request said the place would be different in allowing children and parents to interact in a miniature city. No electronic games would be allowed, and no internal or external sound systems would be used.