Church proposes 21,000‑square‑foot building at Noah Road and Highway 279; county flags fire, plumbing and buffering needs

Martin Haney presented a pre‑application for a new Church of Latter day Saints at the intersection of Noah Road and Highway 279, describing a building of roughly 20,000–21,000 square feet and a calculated design occupant load of about 1,409 people. He said plans currently show 289 parking spaces and seven accessible spaces.

The county fire marshal, Lonnie Harrell, said an assembly building of that scale will require a sprinkler and alarm system where code thresholds apply, properly sized exits with exterior doors that swing outward and panic hardware, and a fire hydrant near the fire department connection for the sprinkler system. "The main thing is the sprinkler system, the alarm system, and access to the building all the way around," Harrell told the committee.

Amanda from building safety told the applicant stamped structural plans and engineered MEPs will be required at submittal, along with a state plumbing approval letter and a fire‑safety plan. "With it being an A occupancy and the size and your occupant load, they will need to be structural engineered plans as well as stamped, engineered MEPs," Amanda said. Staff offered to email a packet itemizing documents the applicant must send with the site application.

Caroline Eastman of the Arkansas Department of Health advised that interior plumbing plans must be submitted to the state plumbing division in Little Rock and urged the applicant to seek a sewer connection if possible given the high occupancy. Eastman said a septic system sized for the stated occupancy would be large and require both a primary lateral field and a reserved secondary area; she recommended early PERC testing and engaging a designated septic designer because soils or setback findings often change lot layouts. "With the occupant of course, the occupancy, that 1,400 that you threw out, I don't know that the septic would necessarily be sized with that," Eastman said, recommending sewer if practicable.

The road department reminded the applicant that the plat must reference or dedicate right‑of‑way, dimension roadway widths from the centerline, and obtain driveway permits: a county driveway permit for Noah Road and coordination with the state for access to Highway 279. Planning staff described compatibility and setback requirements, recommending a 20‑foot setback and 15–25 feet of vegetative buffering on the north side adjacent to low‑density residential, a 60‑foot setback from the center of Noah Road on the south, and a 20‑foot east setback with no buffering. Staff also listed submittal items the site plan should include — fence, enclosed trash receptacle, drainage report, utility letters and a $300 site‑plan review fee — and said they will email the contact list and recording from the meeting.

No formal action or vote occurred; staff directed the applicant to provide the requested engineered plans, state plumbing documentation or a sewer agreement if possible, and to coordinate hydrant placement with the fire marshal. The applicant will receive the recording, meeting notes and a contact sheet from planning staff and must submit the site package with the listed documents for formal review by the county planning board.