Fayetteville's City Council meeting on Tuesday covered two contentious topics: Ramay Junior High School and California-based drone manufacturing facility Swarm Aero. Organizers, stakeholders and attendees hoping to give public comment filled all the seats and then lined the
The Fayetteville City Council spent most of Tuesday's meeting discussing two controversial development issues — the proposed new Ramay Junior High campus and a dispute over the zoning for drone manufacturer Swarm Aero.
The appeal of Ramay, led by Councilwoman Teresa Turk, cited resident concerns with traffic and pedestrian safety. Supporters of Ramay argued the school project had already undergone extensive public review and would improve trails and pedestrian infrastructure. Public comment raised concerns about traffic safety, stormwater runoff, steep terrain and environmental impacts. Council members voted 7-1 to reject Turk's appeal, citing confidence that the school would address safety concerns properly during the construction process.
The council also took up Swarm Aero's appeal, tied to the company's zoning classification near Drake Field. Fayetteville resident Jesse Buchanan, who won a zoning appeal to the city's Board of Adjustments in April to revoke Swarm Aero's business permit, gave a presentation arguing that Swarm's production is more aligned with heavy industrial use and not light manufacturing.
Fayetteville Development Services Director Jonathan Curth testified that Swarm's activities — composite fabrication, assembly, storage and aerospace manufacturing — fit the city's existing definition of light manufacturing and were comparable to other industrial operations already permitted in Fayetteville.
Fire Marshal Jeremy Ashley argued that visits to the site confirmed that the location fit the parameters for Swarm's planned operations.
Supporters of Swarm, including University of Arkansas Chancellor Charles Robinson and Fayetteville Economic Development Director Devin Howland, argued the company could create valuable STEM workforce opportunities and that denying Swarm's appeal would send a chilling effect to other businesses looking to come to the city.
Opponents to Swarm, in addition to zoning concerns, cited distrust with the company's lack of communication to the public regarding the facility and strong opposition to the drones being used in warfare.
Co-founder and chief engineer of Swarm Aero, Peter Kalogiannis, said the company did not communicate properly with the public, but was committed to staying in Fayetteville.
In the end, the council voted 5-3 to grant Swarm Aero's appeal and restore the company's original classification, allowing Swarm to continue operating at its facility near Drake Field without seeking rezoning.
Fayetteville resident Jackson Copeland came to Tuesday's meeting to speak against Swarm. He says he's not surprised to see overlap in organization against both situations.
"I think that these two situations are likely to have overlap with the type of people who would not be in support of the Ramay decision, and also not in support of Swarm. We're a growing community, still a relatively small community compared to many states. And we're a big part of Arkansas, but we need to be smart about how we're growing, and we need to be smart about where we're putting things. And we need to be smart about what we're investing in as a community."
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
