Lincoln salvage yard gains preliminary approval
Posted on Friday, May 2, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/64728/
It was a close vote, but the Washington County Planning Board on Thursday gave preliminary large-scale development approval for an automotive recycling center and salvage yard in the Lincoln planning area.
The name of the proposed business is A + U Pull It Inc. Automobile Recycling.
A few of its neighbors spoke against it during the meeting.
“ We want to go on record as being completely opposed to it, ” said Brian Franzen, who lives next to the site. “ It’s a very scenic area. We just don’t want to see it come there. ”
Business owners are Daugherty-Goshen Farms and Four Square Properties, limited liability companies. Robert Daugherty, one of the owners, who serves on the Planning Board, excused himself from the matter.
Approving the request were board members Kenley Haley, Gary Head and Chairman Randy Laney. Larry Walker and Cheryl West voted against it.
The project still faces final large-scale development approval.
Neighbor Gary Belew said there already is enough junk along the highway. He said he is opposed not just to what he called the “ ugliness of it” but also the environmental impact of the proposed salvage yard.
County Planning Director Juliet Richey said there are several regulations with which the business must comply.
A + U co-owner R. D. Hopper, who said he also owns Sonny’s Auto Salvage in Jacksonville, talked about working closely with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.
“ We do everything very professionally, ” he said.
Hopper said he had met with a lot of neighbors but was unable to meet with the people expressing their discontent Thursday.
Haley asked staff what would happen if the owners ever abandoned the business. Robyn Reed, county environmental affairs director, said owners can be required to clean up the property.
Walker asked if a bond was required in case something happened and the business left. Staff said there were no bond requirements.
West asked Hopper about the height of the metal fence planned for the project. He said it was a 10-foot fence and would be back far enough to conceal the cars.
Neighbor Margaret McDaniel said the business will still be seen by people even if there is a fence.
“ If I asked each one of you if you wanted to live next to a salvage yard, you would say no, ” she told the board members.
Richey told board members that the project does not need to meet more stringent conditional-use approval because it is in the U. S. 62 corridor. Highway corridors in the county are not zoned. She said staff are still working on what to do with zoning in highway corridors and are trying to do an inventory of existing uses.
“ It’s probably going to be six months or so before we get this done, ” she said.
In saying he would vote against the proposal, Walker explained it is different from an auto recycling business he recently voted to approve for the Greenland area. In a post-meeting interview, he said the Greenland project is more like a used car lot, whereas the Lincoln project is a salvage yard. He said he has concerns about cleanup if the business leaves.
Walker and West said they would not want the business next to them.