BRYANT, Ark. — Controversy stirs in Bryant just days before a vote about a 300,000 square foot warehouse that would be built near a residential area.
LKQ, a Bryant parts shop that serves a distribution center, is looking to expand.
The proposed site is along Raymar road and Interstate-30, but it also runs along several Bryant neighborhoods.
"Bryant looks like they are grasping for straws, trying to put a warehouse in there,” said Pete Thompson, a Bryant man.
Thompson lives across from the proposed build site.
He, along with his neighbors, are worried the large business will destroy residential value in the area.
“I believe it’s going to turn all of our area away from property owners who value their property,” said Thompson.
Residents have more concerns, including the amount of traffic and noise that would be produced from the warehouse.
The city has since requested a traffic study from the developer. They found 24 to 25 trucks are expected to come in and out of the business.
“The majority of those trucks will be your small box trucks, four of those will be semi-trucks,” said Truett Smith, Bryant’s planning director.
“The company is building 80 truck bays, 80,” said Thompson. “You don’t build that many bays for 24 trucks. LKQ is being smart. They are building for the future.”
Thompson believes as the company grows, so will the 24-hour noise in the quiet part of Bryant.
However, Smith said the developer has agreed to put a type of barrier along the facility to reduce noise.
“If you look at this, there’s a 50-foot buffer,” said Smith. “A lot of that’s there to help with noise levels and the line of site. It will not sit right along the road, it’s about 300-feet from the road.”
Bryant Planning Commission will vote on the proposal Monday, Dec. 9.
People who are for or against the project are encouraged to attend the meeting.
The proposed site is already commercial zoned. The city said if passed, the project will come with extensive road work around the facility and several more jobs.