Conway Zoning Changes & DecisionsDelivered Same-Day
in the Conway / Central Arkansas Market
Of the 21 land-use decisions recorded across Conway over the last 24 months, 80% were approved. We read every Conway hearing and pull the outcome, the vote split, and the conditions, so you see how this board actually rules.
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What gets approved in Conway
In Conway, 80% of land-use board decisions were approved over the last 24 months. Multifamily / attached housing clear 86%, Special exception / conditional use 80%. ZoneWire analyzed 21 land-use board decisions in Conway over the last 24 months. Here are the most active project types and how often each one clears.
| Project type | Decisions | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|
| Multifamily / attached housing | 7 | 86% |
| Special exception / conditional use | 5 | 80% |
How Conway rules on land use
Approval is not the risk in Conway. The cost of yes is. Both land-use approvals on record passed unanimously but each carried binding conditions (a 3-condition variance, a 6-condition CUP that capped operating hours). The live story is Project Stratus, a roughly $1B AI hyperscale data center on up to 762 acres that drew organized opposition at the May 12 hearing. Follow this board free while we build the record.
- Who decides
- Planning Commission recommends, City Council decides
- The pattern
- Both land-use items that reached a vote (2 of 2: the smokehouse variance and the 703 Donaghy CUP) were approved unanimously but with binding conditions attached (3 and 6 respectively); 0 denials, 0 staff denial recommendations on record.
Proof
Conditional Use Permit for bookstore/stationary store at 703 Donaghy Avenue
Jun 15, 2026
Planning staff brought a CUP to allow a bookstore/stationary store in the O-3 district at 703 Donaghy Avenue, voiding and replacing the prior childcare CUP at the same site. Approved unanimously, but with six binding conditions including operating hours limited to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and an 18-month rule that voids the permit if the use does not commence and expires it if the use later lapses. Illustrates the cost-of-yes pattern: approval was never in doubt, the conditions were the substance.
Full breakdown
Conway, Arkansas decides land use through its Planning Commission, which holds the public hearing and recommends, with the City Council holding final authority. Variances run a separate Board of Zoning Adjustment track. Across the meetings on record, the picture is the one most developers expect: the board says yes.
What it does not do is say yes cleanly. Both land-use items that actually reached a vote passed unanimously, and both came out with conditions attached.
The 512 square foot smokehouse variance cleared with three conditions, including a requirement to clad the structure to match the primary building and an 18 month construction deadline.
The conditional use permit for a bookstore at 703 Donaghy Avenue cleared with six, including operating hours capped at 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and an automatic expiration if the use lapses.
So far there are zero staff recommendations of denial and zero application denials in the record, which is why approval odds are not where your money is. The terms of approval are.
The contested item worth watching is Project Stratus, a roughly one billion dollar AI hyperscale data center proposed by Forge Light Ventures on up to 762 acres near Lolly Road, carrying a 65 percent property tax abatement over 30 years.
The May 12 session was a public comment hearing, not a vote, and the room pushed back hard, with one speaker telling the council to send Forge Light somewhere other than Conway.
By the city's own account, multiple public actions still lie ahead before a project of that scale can move, which means the planning commission and council votes that decide it have not happened yet.
We are still gathering data in this market, with five transcripts and three land-use items on record so far. Follow Conway free and you will see the next Stratus hearing, and the conditions on the next approval, the day they land.
Key facts: Conway land-use record
- Conway approved 80% of 21 land-use decisions in the last 24 months.
- Conway has 17 rezoning-related records across 3 recent public meetings tracked by ZoneWire.
- The most recent tracked meeting in Conway was on July 28, 2026.
Updated with meetings through July 28, 2026.
See Real Meeting Intelligence
Here's what ZoneWire found in the latest Conway meeting
City Council Meeting - 2026-07-28
The Conway City Council approved several rezonings and a conditional use permit at its July 28, 2026 meeting. It approved the rezoning of ~6 acres at Fox Ridge Phase 2 from R-1 to R-2 (Ordinance 02646, 8-0) and the rezoning of 32 Eve Lane from A-1 to R-1 (Ordinance 02647, 8-0).
See full analysisKey Decisions
- Waive three readings for ordinances on agenda
- Appropriate insurance proceeds for Simon Park bandshell repair
- Amend Conway Zoning Code re temporary certificates of occupancy and fee table
Planning Commission - 2026-07-20
Special City Council Meeting - 2026-06-30
City Council Meeting - 2026-06-23
Plus every other session we monitor
Every Conway insight is sourced from official public meeting records and analyzed within hours, updated daily.
Conway land-use matters are decided by the City Council and the Planning Commission. A proposed $1 billion AI data center, brought by developer ForgeLight Ventures, has driven a rezoning and annexation fight that is shaping local development policy. The Council and Planning Commission take up the rezonings, annexations, and site plans the project needs.
Recent Zoning Insights in Conway
City Council Meeting - 2026-07-28
July 28, 2026
Planning Commission - 2026-07-20
July 20, 2026
Special City Council Meeting - 2026-06-30
June 30, 2026
Recent meetings with zoning keywords detected by ZoneWire. Subscribe to get all alerts in real time.
Monthly Zoning Activity
Conway had 2 public meetings in July 2026 with 288 zoning insights detected, up 1008% from June.
| Month | Meetings | Zoning Insights | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 2 | 288 | |
| Jun 2026 | 3 | 26 | Roundup |
| May 2026 | 4 | 26 | Roundup |
Source: ZoneWire analysis of Conway public meeting transcripts. Updated daily.
How ZoneWire Works in Conway
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Each transcript is scanned for rezoning, conditional use permits, variances, site plan review, and other zoning keywords. You get the signal, not the noise.
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ZoneWire has analyzed 9 Conway council meetings, flagging 340 rezoning, variance, and development items.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conway is a city and administers its own zoning through the Planning & Development Department, the Planning Commission, and the City Council. The current Zoning Code was adopted as Ordinance No. O-22-111, passed September 27, 2022 and effective November 18, 2022. Zoning applications are submitted through the city's Civic Access (Tyler) portal, and the department can be reached at 1111 Main St, Conway, AR 72032 or (501) 450-6105.
Section 202 of the Conway Zoning Code establishes districts in several groups: Residential (R-1 One Family, R-2A Two Family, R-2 Low Density, SR Suburban Residential, MF-1/MF-2/MF-3 Multi-Family, RMH Mobile Home, HR Historical Residential); Commercial (C-1 Central Business, C-2 Neighborhood Commercial, C-3 Highway Service and Open Display); Office (O-1 General, O-2 Quiet, O-3 Restricted); Industrial (I-1 Intermediate Industrial, RU-1 Restricted Use, I-3 Intensive Industrial); and Special districts (A-1 Agricultural, S-1 Institutional, PUD Planned Unit Development, SP Specific Plan, TJ Rural).
The Conway Planning Commission meets on the third Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of Conway City Hall, 1111 Main Street. These are the meetings at which rezoning requests, conditional use permits, and subdivision items are heard, following the published Planning Commission schedule and application deadlines.
Under Section 803 of the Zoning Code, a rezoning or text/map amendment can be initiated by the City Council, the Planning Commission, or a property owner or authorized agent. Property-owner requests require an application with fees, a published public hearing notice, a posted sign on the property, and mailed notice to owners within 200 feet before the Planning Commission public hearing. The Planning Commission then makes a recommendation, and the City Council takes final action to adopt, modify, reject, or remand the request.
A conditional use permit allows a use that is permitted in a district only after review to ensure it protects public health, safety, and welfare and is compatible with the surrounding area. Applicants pay a non-refundable filing fee of $325, publish and post public-hearing notice, and notify property owners within 200 feet. After the public hearing, the Planning Commission may approve the request by majority vote and forward its recommendation to the City Council for action within seventy (70) days. Separately, the Planning Commission also sits as the Board of Zoning Adjustment to hear variances, special exceptions, and appeals.
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New developments in Conway