Centerton Planning Commission Recap | October 20, 2026

The Centerton Planning Commission met Tuesday, October 20, with a relatively short agenda, but the main item involved a project residents will eventually see taking shape along Keller Road near the new Centerton Recreation Center.

In addition to three administrative approvals, the Commission reviewed and approved the City of Centerton’s plans for improvements along Keller Road from Highway 102 toward Lapis Avenue. Much of the discussion focused on what can be built now, what still depends on additional right-of-way, and how the work being done today will eventually connect with future development farther south.

The Commission also approved the October 6 meeting minutes. The published agenda contained no old business.

Three Administrative Approvals Ratified

The Commission ratified three items that had already gone through the city’s administrative review process.

Hair Club for Dogs was approved as a home occupation for dog grooming at 130 Fox Run Circle. JS Preventive Maintenance was approved as a mobile automotive service operating from 411 Ford Street. The third approval involved changes to the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 1800 E. Centerton Boulevard, where the store is relocating its online pickup and delivery parking.

The Walmart changes received a little additional explanation from staff. The existing pickup spaces will be restriped back into regular parking, while pickup parking will move to the north lot. The site plan also changes the pedestrian connection near the pharmacy drive-through, creating a more direct sidewalk connection toward the parking lot and adding a sidewalk for employees using the rear entrance.

After that clarification, the Commission approved ratification of all three administrative items without opposition.

Keller Road Improvements Move Forward

The only new-business item was STR26-01, the City of Centerton’s Keller Road improvement project running from Highway 102 toward Lapis Avenue. The project is connected to the work underway around the new recreation center, but the road improvements are being handled as a separate city project.

City staff explained that the work will widen the west side of Keller Road, add curb and gutter, improve drainage and tie into the existing 12-foot trail near the recreation center. One particularly important piece is the drainage infrastructure serving the recreation center site. The outfall from the recreation center detention pond needs to cross beneath Keller Road, so that portion of the work has to be coordinated with the roadway project rather than constructed separately later.

The plans also include work farther south along Keller, although not every improvement can be completed at the same time.

The Trail Will Not Extend the Entire Distance Yet

One of the biggest limitations is right-of-way.

South of the recreation center property, the city currently has approximately 30 feet of right-of-way but needs another 15 feet to construct the trail in the location ultimately planned for that corridor. Staff said attempts have been made to reach the affected property owner, but the city has not yet secured the additional right-of-way.

Because the Keller Road project needs to keep moving, that section of trail is being handled as a bid alternate rather than holding up the entire project.

Technically, the trail could be squeezed closer to the curb within the space currently available, but staff explained that doing so would likely mean tearing it back out later when the road reaches its ultimate configuration. There are also existing gas and electrical utilities in the area and a private property improvement near the roadway that the city does not intend to disturb.

For now, the city can continue with the road widening, curb, gutter and drainage improvements while leaving that portion of the trail for a later phase if the necessary right-of-way becomes available.

That is an important distinction because the approved plan does not mean the entire pedestrian connection shown for the corridor will immediately be constructed.

A Smoother Northbound Lane Is Also Being Considered

Another bid alternate involves the existing northbound lane of Keller Road.

There is not enough right-of-way along much of that side to widen Keller into its ultimate full roadway section as part of this project. Depending on the contractor’s pricing, however, the city may mill and overlay the existing northbound lane.

That would allow the finished roadway to have a more consistent asphalt surface even though the full widening cannot happen yet.

Staff repeatedly came back to the practical limitation behind several of these decisions: this work has to fit within the city’s available funding. The plans needed to be finalized so updated pricing could be obtained and the city could determine which alternates can reasonably be included.

A $60,000 Utility Relocation Will Be Avoided

Commissioners also asked about an existing Carroll Electric pole near the project.

Staff said they would prefer to relocate it, but Carroll Electric indicated the move would cost approximately $60,000. At that price, the current plan is to leave the pole where it is and design around it rather than include the relocation in this project.

That was another example of the balancing happening throughout the Keller Road design. The city is planning for the roadway’s ultimate configuration while also deciding which improvements make financial sense to complete right now.

Keller Road Is Being Designed With Future Development in Mind

A substantial portion of the discussion dealt with what happens farther south, where the existing roadway does not perfectly align with the future street network.

Staff explained that the current Keller Road improvements have been designed so they will work with future development rather than requiring the city to redo the project later.

Future development to the south is expected to include a street called Lutesville Way. When that area develops, the intersection can be configured with turn lanes based on the traffic conditions at that time. If traffic eventually reaches the level where a signal is justified, staff said the intersection has also been considered with that possibility in mind.

That future work is not part of the project the Commission approved Tuesday night. The discussion was meant to show that the Keller improvements being constructed now are not being designed in isolation from what could eventually happen around them.

That matters in an area where the recreation center itself will change traffic patterns and additional property is likely to develop over time.

The Keller Road Plan Was Approved

Planning staff said only a few outstanding comments remained on the drawings, primarily minor labeling corrections. One example was making sure Keller was consistently identified as Keller Road rather than Keller Avenue.

With no additional substantive concerns raised, the Commission approved STR26-01. No commissioners were recorded as opposing the motion.

Approval allows the city to continue moving the plans forward and obtain the updated contractor pricing needed to determine which of the bid alternates can be included.

What Happens Next

The next regular Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for November 3 at 6 p.m. During Tuesday night’s announcements, commissioners were also told that the November 3 meeting is expected to include a joint meeting with City Council.

The next regular City Council meeting listed on the agenda is November 10 at 6 p.m., followed by the next Technical Review meeting on November 19.

The agenda also showed three projects in the new or upcoming final-submittal stage: the Centerton Food Truck Park, Silverleaf Estates Clubhouse and Silverleaf Estates mailbox parking.

My Takeaway

This was a shorter meeting, but I thought the Keller Road discussion was a good example of why infrastructure planning is rarely as simple as drawing the finished road on a map and building it.

There are several things happening at once along this corridor. The recreation center is under construction. Keller needs roadway and drainage improvements to support it. The city does not control all of the right-of-way needed for the ultimate trail connection. Existing utilities affect what can be built and where. Future development will eventually change the intersection farther south. And all of those pieces still have to fit within the amount of money available for the project today.

What stood out to me was the amount of planning being done for improvements that may not happen immediately. The city may not be able to build the final version of Keller Road all at once, but the work being completed now needs to leave room for the road, trail connections, future streets and potentially even a traffic signal to evolve without unnecessarily rebuilding what taxpayers have already paid for.

That kind of long-term coordination matters, especially in a growing city where today’s edge of development can look very different just a few years from now.

I’ll continue following the Keller Road work as construction moves forward, particularly the final bid alternates, the missing right-of-way for the trail and how the roadway ultimately connects with future development south of the recreation center.