ROGERS – The city of Rogers has a head start when it comes to city development plans and regulations, according to a University of Arkansas economist.

The city held a special presentation Tuesday where Mervin Jebaraj, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the university's Walton College of Business, shared his thoughts on the city of Rogers' newly adopted Unified Development Code.

The city adopted the Rogers Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Code in July, which rezoned the entire city. Jebaraj said the city has gone from 66 to 14 building types.

Community Development Director John McCurdy previously said the plan was created in an effort to simplify the development code and align it with the city's values.

“It’s amazing to go from this level of complexity to this level of simplicity,” Jebaraj said.

He said Rogers was the first city in the state to convert a citizen-developed future development plan into an enforceable law in the city.

He added that Rogers is positioning itself as a more traditional city.

“Before we adopted the codes we introduced in the 1960s,” Jebaraj said, “this is how cities were designed. In a way this is innovative and new, but it is innovative and new by going back to something that is traditional in the way we used to build cities.”

The city of Rogers asked its citizens what they wanted in a city and is now implementing that vision, Jebaraj said, giving developers an easier way to develop.

He said the code changes will allow for more middle-class housing such as duplexes and townhouses, ultimately giving Rogers a head start on becoming a major city in Northwest Arkansas.

“Northwest Arkansas doesn’t have a major city right now — we’re four cities,” Jebaraj said. “(Rogers has) a head start on becoming what I think downtown Northwest Arkansas could be.”

Jebaraj said creating housing in the city will reduce housing costs. And affordable housing will help the region's cities grow, he said.

Northwest Arkansas is expected to have a population of one million by 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, Jebaraj said that figure depends on the region's ability to accommodate affordable development.

McCurdy said the region has a housing crisis and “we need all the housing we can get, in every form.” He said the city is working to develop every type of housing possible in Rogers. If the housing crisis continues, he said, Rogers will see a cooling effect on its economic growth and a high cost of living.

Jebaraj said he believes the new city plan and development code will have a positive impact on housing affordability.

Furthermore, the Commission said on Tuesday:

Approved a large-scale parking expansion project at Post Therapies at 1000 W. Poplar St., which will include an additional 24 parking spaces.

Approved a rezoning from moderate intensity neighborhood to high intensity neighborhood at 1203 W. New Hope Road for Variety Insurance. Before approval, one resident spoke in favor of the rezoning due to parking problems, another against it.

Approved a rezoning from Moderate Intensity Neighborhood to High Intensity Neighborhood at 321 E. Locust St. for Nola's Pantry. A high intensity district encourages non-residential uses such as: E.g. local businesses within walking distance of the houses.

Approved changes to the City's Unified Development Code. The changes included an exemption from minimum dimensions for external courtyards, a reduction in the minimum distance for internal courtyards in industrial areas and floodplain building permit specifications.

City Planner Joe Rexwinkle said the Community Development Department is working on an easy-to-use digital map so the public can see zoning changes and urban developments near them.