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NLR Planners Give OK To Bullet Manufacturing Plant

City planners have given preliminary approval for a bullet manufacturer to move into a warehouse near a residential neighborhood in downtown North Little Rock.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- City planners have given preliminary approval for a bullet manufacturer to move into a warehouse near a residential neighborhood in downtown North Little Rock.

The North Little Rock Planning Commission voted 5-4 Tuesday to approve a special-use permit for Precision Brass and Bullet. The request now heads to the North Little Rock City Council for final approval.

The company wants to produce bullet projectiles and test-fire bullets in a former warehouse in the Argenta area, applicant Patrick Franklin said. He told the commission that the company would store 3 to 5 pounds of gunpowder and test fire five to 10 rounds every two hours.

Franklin said the warehouse would have noise-abatement features, including an extra 6-inch concrete wall, to reduce the sound. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported (https://bit.ly/1hOxT31 ), several residents spoke against the proposal Tuesday.

"This is absolutely the wrong thing to put in this neighborhood," said Patrick Stair. "This is an industrial process to be put in a residential area. How can that possibly be appropriate?"

Commissioner Don Chambers lives in Argenta and voted against the proposal. He said the company's noise-abatement efforts wouldn't be enough for residents who live within 60 feet of the warehouse.

"Everyone is quite opposed to an ammunition plant coming in," Chambers said. "This is a special use to allow something that is particularly onerous."

But commissioner Steve White, who voted in favor of the permit, said that indoor shooting venues don't produce noise outside their buildings.

"I think this (site) is appropriate for this business," he said.

Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, https://www.arkansasonline.com/

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