The Wilson Spring Business and Technology Park Task Force (TF) was formed to provide independent analysis and to make a recommendation to the City Council and Mayor's office of the City of Fayetteville as to the "highest and best" use of the approximately 289 acres owned by the city and located on Interstate 540. In the course of our examination, three subcommittees focused on the economic/development, biological, and hydrological issues associated with the site, gathered information and studied important attributes and/or impacts of various uses of the property. The TF held two pubic forums for to garner input from citizens, as well as allowing statements and questions from various representatives of constituent groups during regularly held meetings, which began June 20th.

1. The formation of a Business and Technology Park sufficient in size to create critical mass for business development and located to take maximum advantage of potential synergies with Fayetteville's most unique resource, the University of Arkansas.

2. The increase and enhancement of Fayetteville's tax base and further insurance of the financial viability of the City of Fayetteville. Developing these lands produces financial advantages for the City in three ways:

a. It returns acreage to the property tax base critical to the support our schools and other city and county services.
b. It produces "profit" for the City, with which to fund and support such things as the development of trails, green space, parks, and parks improvements.
c. It fosters the development of high wage jobs by improving the climate for the creation of knowledge-based industry.

3. The preservation of at roughly 180 acres of wetlands, floodplain, and floodway, creating a valuable environmental resource, in perpetuity, for the citizens of Fayetteville.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Recommendation: Immediately apply for and receive the permit from the Corps of Engineers for the 17-acre wetlands impact, with mitigation, as necessary.

2. Recommendation: Approximately 70 acres at the south end of the property be platted and planned for the Wilson Spring Business and Technology Park Development

3. Recommendation: The 38 acres at the southeast corner (and a part of the above referenced 70 acres) be developed immediately (Phase 1).

a. Development of these lands would require some or all mitigation be done on the front end, since some of the 38 acres is in the wetlands impact area. Monies for the mitigation would provide initial funding for immediate restoration, etc.
(However, per the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, due to the substantial amount of land being preserved in the recommendations of the Task Force, possible mitigation acreages could be significantly reduced.)

a. To insure that the Business Park will not include heavy industrial or be dominated with retail business and will encourage "knowledge based", technology oriented businesses.
b. To insure that the resulting development will have a campus style environment with a maximum amount of area in green space.
c. To insure that the wetlands are "developed" to provide the maximum benefit to the entire surrounding property
d. To insure that all storm water collection systems from development be constructed to protect the sensitive wetlands

5. Recommendation: Commence as soon as possible a formal inventory assessment and evaluation of the lands lying north of Clabber Creek, currently not designated as wetlands or mitigation areas for wetlands impact, for development potential. These lands to include the approximately 11 acres lying west of Deane Soloman Road. Such evaluation should include a thorough needs assessment, potential environmental impact of development, biological assessment, further wetlands delineation assessment, dispersed recreational study, storm water runoff assessment and economic impact of development. If such an evaluation of such lands yields the possibility of development of some kind, the TF recommends the inclusion of a significant buffer of "not-to-be-disturbed lands" of at least 600' wide lying north of and parallel to Clabber Creek.

6. Recommendation: That all of the lands lying south of Clabber Creek and north of the aforementioned 70 acres of commercial development be preserved, in perpetuity, as delineated wetlands and/or an extension of said delineated wetlands.