The intersection of Highway 71 and Oldham Drive in Bella Vista seems to have paved a path for problems.
In June, the city council voted to rezone the property from residential to commercial. The decision received much controversy after Walmart Neighborhood Market announced plans to move in on the land.
Tony LiCausi with Citizens for Responsible Development helped gather enough signatures to put the rezoning issue on the November ballot.
"We're trying to get as many people who haven't voted yet as we can... It's been about the way the deal went down, the kind of deal that is is and the fact that the public just got stepped on," said LiCausi.
Bella Vista City Councilman Doug Farner said a letter from the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, dated October 18, was distributed to the council November 1. The department had been asked to conduct a traffic study at the intersection of Oldham Drive and Highway 71 and to consider adding a traffic light.
"At this time they don't feel like there is enough traffic to warrant a light and they will not do it based on future projections," said Farner.
For many folks in Bella Vista, deciding whether to support the rezoning was largely based on the proposed traffic light. Now, that signal is at the center of controversy. LiCausi believes Mayor Frank Anderson may have kept the information to himself until early voting was underway, hoping to snag votes in support of the rezoning.
"There's been a lot of damage done by keeping people in the dark."
Farner feels LiCausi's claims do not match up with the mayor's character.
"I cannot believe that Frank Anderson or anybody else in the city for that matter would have deliberately withheld the information... The issue really is whether that zoning should be C4 or residential. It really doesn't have anything to do with whether or not there's a traffic light there."
But while some are trying to spread the word of what they feel is deceit, Councilman Farner is focusing on the future of Bella Vista.
"I'm sorry they feel that way. I don't think for a minute that the information was withheld and it's a little bit upsetting to hear the negativity that has come up over this issue."
KNWA did speak with Mayor Anderson, but he did not have any comment on this issue.
