County planners OK business permits

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County planners on Thursday approved three requests from businesses looking to operate in unincorporated areas of the county.

The board approved a request for a permit from Andy Lehman for the Lehman Fishing Bait Warehouse at 10310 S. Arkansas 59 near Summers.

Lehman is planning to operate a 125-by-80-foot distribution warehouse for fishing rods, bait, jig heads and apparel, according to the permit application. A 100-by-50-foot gravel parking lot will accommodate five full-time employees with the possibility of more in the future. Hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays with slightly longer hours during their peak season.

The property is about 3.42 acres and is located on the eastern side of South Arkansas 59, approximately 0.1 mile from North Washington County Road 678.

The Planning Board also approved a permit request from Jackson and Abigail Hogue for the Sonora Oversized Storage operation at 17401 E. U.S. 412 near Springdale. The Hogues requested a conditional use permit to run an oversized storage facility, primarily for boats and recreational vehicles, on a 3.5-acre parcel.

There will be four buildings with a total of 43,480 square feet.

A 4.3-foot-deep dry detention pond with a capacity of 29,000 cubic feet will be on the southern portion of the project. The pond will be controlled by a storm box with orifice controls.

The facility will be unmanned and available for customers to access any time using a security keypad. A security fence will surround the perimeter of the property. There will be lighting on the buildings and signage on buildings will be no larger than 6 feet by 6 feet.

The property is on the south side of East U.S. 412, about 0.15 miles from Washington County Road 93.

Also Thursday, the Planning Board voted to approve a permit for Oak Place Properties for a warehouse operation at 5325 W. Wheeler Road near Fayetteville.

The conditional use permit is for an existing commercial building and multiuse warehouses on about 4.6 acres. After changes in property owners and business uses over time, the planning staff required the new owners to obtain a permit from the county.

There are three warehouses and one office building on the property, according to the permit information filed with the county. Two of the warehouses will be for personal use, while one will be a gym and weight room for personal training. Hours of operation for the gym will be 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9-11 a.m. Saturdays. The gym will be operated by three employees, and each training session will accommodate two to seven customers.