Copyright Arkansas Online
FAYETTEVILLE -- A request for a permit to operate a concrete plant in unincorporated Washington County was unanimously approved Thursday by the Planning Board, prompting a chorus of boos from the neighbors crowding the meeting room and drawing tears from one mother and her children. The permit was sought for the O'Brien Ready Mix concrete mixing facility on about 7.4 acres of land at 16234 W. Highway 62 near Prairie Grove. The Planning Board's decision can be appealed to the Washington County Quorum Court. Neighboring property owners spoke in opposition to the permit, citing concerns about noise, dust, lights from the plant, traffic hazards and environmental concerns. Kimberly Fuller told the board she owns about 16 acres of land on Bob Kidd Lake, near the proposed site of the concrete plant. She said the business presents risks to the community's health and financial future, as well as environmental dangers and would be detrimental to the quality of life for neighbors. Fuller said the process will create hazardous dust that cannot be contained to the site, light and noise pollution and poses potential risks to groundwater due to the karst geology of the region. "Are 10 jobs worth the health and environmental impact on a whole community?" Fuller asked. Sheila Phillips said she and her husband will be forced to sell their property and move away if the concrete operation is approved due to the dust from the operation. She said her husband has a respiratory illness and his doctor has told him the dust would adversely effect his health. "I feel like I'm fighting for my life," Phillips said. John Scott, an attorney representing the company, said the concerns raised by the neighbors have been studied by experts in connection with another plant operated by the company and were deemed to be unfounded. Steve Zega, an attorney representing some of the neighbors, said a pending lawsuit against the company's Gentry operation argues that the concrete mixing operation creates a nuisance that -- due to the excessive light at night, noise and dust -- deprives other property owners of the right to quietly enjoy their homes. Zega said those same concerns about the Prairie Grove location should be considered before the project is approved to operate there. The property owner, O'Brien Rock Company Inc., represented by Jake Chaves of Odyssey Engineering LLC, requested a high-intensity conditional use permit to develop and operate a concrete mixing facility, O'Brien Ready Mix. The property is about 7.42 acres in total, with the project occupying 4.5 acres. Proposed hours of operation are Monday through Friday with work starting anywhere between 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. and ending between 2 p.m. 4 p.m., depending on weather conditions and time of year. There will be 10 full-time employees on staff. No customers would be visiting the facility, but there would be four to six mixer trucks coming and going from the facility on business days. Site construction would include a 45-foot by 80-foot shop building, a 30-foot by 40-foot office building, a 35-foot by 80-foot plant building, a gravel lot for mixer truck parking, a truck wash facility, and a gravel lot for two employee parking spaces. No Americans with Disabilities Act parking is to be provided initially. The project also includes an aggregate storage area, a semi-opaque chain link fence for privacy screening, a retaining wall, and a detention pond. According to information from the Planning Department, all of the adjacent properties are currently used for agricultural or single-family residential purposes. The planning staff reported receiving 43 emails or letters and 50 petition signatures in favor of the project and 72 emails or letters and 338 petition signatures in opposition to this development. Residents opposing the permit said they submitted signatures of petitions signatures from a total of 480 area residents opposing the project. Also on Thursday, the Planning Board unanimously approved three other requests for conditional use permits. The board approved a permit for the Vaughn Recycling facility at 2509 Aarons Drive near Springdale. The metal recycling facility is planned for about 6.2 acres of a 13 acre parcel of land. According to information from the planning staff, the business would operate Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with 10–15 employees. They expect 50–100 daily customers, primarily using drive-thru service. A number of area residents opposing the project attended Thursday's meeting, citing concerns with traffic entering and leaving the site onto U.S. 412, the potential for an increase in crime related to the business and unsightly conditions. The board approved a permit for the Pup Town Doggie Daycare business on 4 acres of land at 4005 N. Old Wire Road near Fayetteville. The planned dog daycare and grooming business would use about 1.7 acres on the site. The hours of operation would be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with drop-off and pick-up by appointment only. The business will initially employ one staff member, with plans to expand to up to four employees as demand grows. The business would initially have 15 10-feet by 10-feet "mobile dog cottages" with electricity and individual fenced-in play yards. Phase two of the development will allow for the addition of up to 20 additional mobile dog cottages. The board also approved a permit for the Poplin Automotive business at 22580 Mason Road. The applicant, Justin Poplin, sought the permit to bring the subject property into compliance in order to continue operating an automotive repair business, Poplin Automotive Specialists, LLC. The business operates out of a 40-foot by 60-foot metal building on the applicant's two-acre property, with the business occupying about half the parcel. The owner is the sole employee. Three to four vehicles are serviced per week. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Two neighbors spoke against the permit and several friends and customers praised Poplin's operation of his business. ---------- County zoning Property in unincorporated Washington County is currently zoned for agricultural or single-family residential use. Any other use requires the property owner to obtain a conditional use permit that must be approved by both the Planning Board and the Quorum Court.
