Leaders tackle growth with zoning and policy changes

• How it works: Cities' zoning often dictates if land is used for housing, whether single-family homes or big apartment complexes are built on it, and how close that housing is to other developments like restaurants, stores or the hospital.

State of play: Some NWA cities are moving away from zoning that separates city land by uses like residential, commercial and agricultural. Some advocates say use-based zoning makes building housing illegal in large portions of cities and forces residents to travel farther for services and jobs.

Zoom in: Rogers moved to an almost entirely form-based code in 2024 that dictates where developments can be built based on the "intensity" of their use, like how tall the building is and the parking associated with it, community development director John McCurdy told Axios.

• Bentonville recently updated its land use map to allow for more types of housing and more density and is finalizing a unified development code that will include more "transition zones" to ensure lower-density neighborhoods aren't right next to buildings that are several stories high, Mayor Stephanie Orman told Axios.
• Springdale adopted a form-based code for its downtown in 2017.
• Sweeping zoning changes like Rogers' are needed across the region, and cities should open up zoning to allow for a wide range of housing in more parts of town, Duke McLarty, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Council's housing arm, Groundwork NWA, told Axios.

Yes, but: Rogers' new code hasn't notably brought down housing costs, McCurdy said.

Friction point: Opinions vary on how much policies within cities' or states' control can affect costs.

• "There's a narrative floating around that housing is a simple supply and demand issue — that if we have more houses they're going to be less expensive. I don't believe that's true," McCurdy said, adding housing costs are largely reliant on things like the price of dirt, materials and labor.

Zoning reforms could also emphasize managing growth by designating intense-use centers along major corridors like Highway 71B and allowing housing along those corridors, McCurdy said. That also minimizes sprawl and makes those areas more ripe for public transportation.

• The Fayetteville City Council in fall 2024 approved a plan to rezone hundreds of acres along College Avenue and create a zoning district called Urban Corridor, designed to promote mixed-use development and increase housing density, the Fayetteville Flyer reported.

What they're saying: McLarty called it "unconscionable" when main corridors with water, sewer, electricity and road infrastructure lack housing.

• "The city, the county and the taxpayers have made investments in those corridors, and they can't live on it," he said. "And that in most instances is because of zoning."

Neighborhood tension

NIMBYism — the "not in my back yard" mentality among residents who don't want new developments near them — drives most opposition to new housing, McLarty said.

The big picture: Rogers has moved to a process where projects are approved by city staff as long as they meet development codes and are in the appropriate area for the intensity of their use, but the public doesn't weigh in on them.

• Rezones still require votes.

What they're saying: "Almost every city requires a public hearing by the planning commission, which is idiotic because the city has already established the rules," McCurdy said, adding that cities open themselves up to lawsuits when they don't approve projects that comply with rules or make exceptions for ones that don't.

• McCurdy said cities should heavily involve the public in rule-making.

Zoom in: NWA's small towns adding multifamily housing are especially vulnerable to NIMBYism. Pea Ridge introduced its first apartment complex in 2022, a 150-unit development called The Benton. It was contentious, Mayor Nathan See told Axios. Now, the city has more multifamily options like duplexes and triplexes.

• "You have growing pains whenever this happens," See said of the small town's rapid population growth. "But there are other parts of Arkansas that would love to have what we have going on in Northwest Arkansas."

Innovative solutions

Most housing is private development, meaning it's likely not going to go for less than market rate without an incentive, McLarty said.

State of play: That leaves elected officials, municipalities and nonprofits to look for policy changes or innovative projects to make way for more attainable housing.

Case in point: Arkansas in 2025 passed bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by state Rep. Nicole Clowney (D-Fayetteville) and state Sen. Bart Hester (R-Cave Springs) and signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that allows homeowners to build accessory dwelling units like small separate apartments on their property without a permit. It also prohibits cities from enacting restrictions like requiring certain design standards or regulating who lives in the unit.

• Supporters point out this can help alleviate the need for more housing and give homeowners an option to house aging relatives or young adult children, though critics argue it strips local control.

Reality check: Landlords in Arkansas are free to raise rents as high as they see fit, and a law passed in 2025 prohibits local governments from regulating rent, rental application fees or rental deposits.

• "My big concern with rent control is it freezes development at a time when we're already struggling to keep up with enough units to house the population," McLarty said. "We can't go a number of years with the development community reacting to a measure like that."

Yes, but: Other projects designate a certain portion of their units to people who make under a certain income level or cater to people with specific jobs.

• For example, McAuley Place, spearheaded by nonprofit Excellerate Foundation, is under construction in Bentonville. It includes units for people who earn 30%-60% of the area median income, plus some units for Bentonville Public Schools employees. The project is largely made possible through state and federal tax credits and philanthropy.
• Big Emma in downtown Springdale is also a mixed-income housing development with about $6.75 million in philanthropic funding from the Walton Family Foundation. McLarty noted Springdale has allowed for density bonuses, where projects like that can build higher density if they agree to designate a certain number of units for affordable housing, meaning they will still net more profit.

Zoom in: Pea Ridge is looking at potential workforce housing options, the mayor told Axios. The school is the city's largest employer, but most of its employees don't live in Pea Ridge. The goal is to make it possible for the people of its community, like teachers, firefighters and police, to be able to live in the community.

What we're watching: Allowing more modular homes, which are typically made in factories and cost less than traditional homes, could take some changes to policy or even state law, McLarty said.

• Fayetteville in 2025 updated its rules to treat modular homes the same as other homes.

Flashback: Rogers in 2019 was faced with updating its rules that prohibited rezoning land to allow for mobile homes when a developer wanted to create a tiny home development. It ultimately got developed.

Go deeper: How housing prices jumped in NWA