Benton, AR, City Council Makes Self-Storage a Conditional Use as Year-Long Moratorium Ends

Following a recommendation from the local planning and zoning commission, the Benton, Arkansas, City Council has unanimously passed an ordinance classifying self-storage as a conditional use in all development zones. It decided to move forward with the zoning amendment, as the existing moratorium is expiring in April. The new ordinance will apply to traditional self-storage and vehicle storage, according to the source.

“We look at the application, and we look at the land [where] these units are proposed to be built, and we take them on a case-by-case basis to ensure as city leaders that we are putting the best establishment in that particular location for the betterment of our city from here on out,” said Shane Knight, the council member who sponsored the ordinance. “We just want to make sure that we are utilizing the land that we have, especially on the commercial side, to the betterment of our entire city for the foreseeable future.”

The current moratorium, passed in April 2022, was passed with an emergency clause, though city officials discussed the measure for more than a year before presenting it to the city council. Since then, the city has not accepted, reviewed or processed any self-storage applications or site plans, or taken any action on previously proposed projects.

Source: The Saline Courrier, Benton City Council Passes Ordinance to Make Mini Storages Conditional Use