By Ray King
On Monday, the Pine Bluff City Council voted to overrule a decision by the Pine Bluff Planning Commission which will allow 1911 Construction Company to build single family houses and duplexes on property the company owns at Faucett and Oakwood Roads.
Council Member Joni Alexander on Tuesday told Deltaplex News that the action was one of the most difficult tasks that council members face because frequently, residents of the area affected by their decisions don’t want projects like that in their neighborhoods, then explained why.
Alexander said one of the proponents for the project said during public comments before the vote that an average of 120 homes per year are torn down in the city while only 12 or so are actually built, resulting in a shortage of single family homes.
She said that 1911 Construction has been doing business in Pine Bluff for generations and she didn’t see them becoming slum landlords.
“Everything starts out great, but my next thought is what is this going to look like in 20 years,” she said. “We’ve got to put things in place, so we don’t allow slum landlords to thrive in our community.”
