FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County planners on Thursday approved plans for a red dirt mine off Harmon Road west of Fayetteville after a 90-minute hearing in which nearly 50 residents voiced their opposition to the project.
The Planning Board voted 5-1 to approve a permit for a red dirt mine operation on about 60 acres east of Harmon Road, near the Wedington Woods subdivision. The same parcel was proposed for a dirt mine in 2014 but that permit was denied by the Planning Board.
County planning
Land in unincorporated Washington County is zoned for agricultural or single-family residential use. Any other use requires the property owner to obtain a conditional use permit from the county. A denial of a permit by the Planning Board can be appealed to the Quorum Court. If the Quorum Court denies a request for a permit, the property owner can appeal that decision to circuit court.
Source: Staff report
County records state the project was denied in 2014 because of safety concerns, compatibility issues and "the likelihood that this project will be injurious to the use and enjoyment of some other property in the surrounding area for the purposes already permitted, and substantially diminish and impair some property values within the surrounding area."
Many of those who spoke at Thursday's meeting raised the same concerns, citing the hazards of heavy truck traffic, the safety of residents and their families in what they described as a "calm, quiet and peaceful" residential area. Several said they opposed the 2014 proposal and urged the board to take the same stand now.
"You turned it down in 2014 for those reasons," Jim Gallagher told the board. "Those reasons still exist. Nothing has changed."
Dana Cooper, another area resident, asked the board to consider the number of people whose lives could be affected.
"It's not just that one area of Harmon Road that's going to be affected," Cooper said.
Helen Chase, a resident of Pin Oak Road for the past five years, said she worries about putting large dump trucks on the same narrow road used by school buses and families.
"I hope you will not put the financial gain of one person over the safety and the lives of thousands of people who live in this area," Chase said.
Tom Terminella, property owner, said he would be glad to work with the county to improve the roads in the area, but that's out of his control. He said he'll operate his business in a safe manner within the laws.
"I can't control the speed limits," Terminella said. "I can't control the sight lines. I can't control the maintenance."
Terminella said he bought the property for a mining operation. Material from another mining operation of his was used on Interstate 49, he said, and will be used in state and local projects in the future. He said the growth in Washington County and Northwest Arkansas puts a premium on local sources of building material.
"All the growth is west of I-49," Terminella said. "The material is needed where the growth is going."
The proposal approved Thursday calls for a commercial open cut red dirt mine on the 60 acres, with no permanent structures. According to information submitted to the county, the operation would generate 30 to 50 round trips by dump trucks daily. The project has been approved by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to mine up to 20 acres. The plan submitted to the county proposes the mine area will be limited with up to 4 acres active at a time and reclamation work being done on areas no longer being mined.
The Planning Board approved another permit Thursday. The board voted 4-1 on a request for a permit for the CGC RV park near Beaver Lake east of Springdale. The project was considered by the board in June and July. At the June 6 meeting, a motion to approve failed to garner enough affirmative votes to be approved. At the July 11 meeting, the item was tabled until enough members were present to reach a decision.
The plans submitted by Hana Chefke call for a maximum of 50 RV stalls on the 8.5 acres off East Monitor Road, east of Springdale. The project would be built in phases, with the first and second phases each having 10 RV stalls. No schedule for the phases was given to the county.
Also Thursday, the Planning Board approved large scale plans for the Old Wire Services & Recreational Facilities calling for 10 buildings on about 19.4 acres on Old Wire Road east of Fayetteville. A permit for the project was approved in July.
NW News on 08/23/2019