Washington County approves Woolsey Wood conditional use permit for local lumber operation amid neighbor concerns

On July 10, 2025, the Washington County board approved a conditional use permit for Pilgrim Log In LLC's Woolsey Wood project, a custom lumber manufacturing facility proposed on a 31.93-acre parcel in Washington County. The board voted to proceed with the permit during the county's regular meeting after staff presentation and public comment.

Planning staff described the project as occupying about 4.7 acres after a planned 6.74-acre lot split and said the applicant will repurpose existing concrete pads from former poultry houses. Staff said the project will be built in three phases and that each phase must return for full large-scale development approval. Staff reported the proposed facility would produce roughly 30,500 square feet of impervious surface and that, to date, planning staff had not received complaints about the proposal.

The permit application includes expected customer hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, with four to five employees on operating days. Staff said a detention pond and a dry hydrant will be engineered during the large-scale development stage to meet West Fork Rural Fire Department safety requirements.

Roy Pilgrim, co-owner of Pilgrim Log In LLC, said the business expects to close on the property July 24 and described the project as a multi-phase effort. "Phase 1 is gonna be about 12 to 18 months," Pilgrim said. He said the first work will remove dilapidated turkey houses and clean the site. "I am hopeful that this business will add a few well paid and fulfilling careers into the local economy and supply a need for high quality local wood products right here in Northwest Arkansas and beyond," Pilgrim said.

Planning staff explained the dry hydrant concept in response to board questions. "The dry hydrant basically pulls from the pond that's gonna be filled," a staff member identified in the record as Sam said. He described the arrangement as a pump connected to the retention pond that the fire department can use because the department lacks a very large-capacity tanker.

Adjacent property owners raised concerns about protection of a pond used for livestock and about noise, odors and heavy-equipment parking. Alan Kidderman, who identified himself as a co-trustee of the Jerry and Ruth Kidderman Trust and owner of property immediately north of the project, asked the board to "protect our pond" and to consider restrictions on heavy-equipment parking and on operating times to preserve the "quiet enjoyment" of nearby property.

Several residents and business customers spoke in favor of the project. Daniel Haygood, a biologist, said local thinning and small-scale markets support forest and wildlife health and that access to local milling services is important for implementing conservation practices. "From my point of view, from a biological and forest health point of view, I think it would be a really great thing to have that resource here," Haygood said. Josh Hart, owner of Natural State Tree Houses and a customer of Pilgrim Log In, said he relied on the applicant for sustainably sourced timber and described the applicant as "very conservation minded." Josh Brown, a local resident, also spoke in support.

After public comment, a board member moved to approve the Woolsey Wood conditional use permit and another board member seconded the motion. With four members present (the board had noted a quorum of four earlier in the meeting), the board voted in favor with no recorded opposition.

Board and staff comments during the meeting emphasized that additional, site-specific details (including the engineered detention pond, dry hydrant design and other safety measures) will be required during the large-scale development review, when adjoining property owners will receive public notice and another opportunity to comment. Pilgrim said the timing of phases 2 and 3 will depend on the fiscal success of phase 1 and estimated a five-year horizon for later phases if phase 1 performs well.

The county recorded no formal complaints prior to the hearing, and staff will require the applicant to follow the county's standard large-scale development submittal and safety requirements before groundwork or construction authorized by the CUP can begin.