Petition to Deny the “Gulley Ranch” Conditional Use Permit

To the Washington County Quorum Court:

We, the undersigned residents of Black Oak Road and other concerned Arkansas citizens, ask you to deny the permit for “Gulley Ranch,” a proposed 3,375 sq. ft. event hall, 5 short-term rentals, an ~116-space gravel lot, and events up to 300 guests / 125 vehicles, seven days a week, with alcohol sales, amplified music, and bright night-time lighting.

The Conditional Use Permit should be denied for the following reasons:

First, a large event venue with multiple short-term rentals is incompatible with the quiet rural area.  There are no comparable commercial venues in the vicinity. No nearby properties serve alcohol and host amplified music at events in conjunction with 5 short-term rentals. Every surrounding property is either a single-family home, a farm, or both.

Mr. Gulley has already filed a $5 million lawsuit against an adjacent neighbor for shooting clay targets and training hunting dogs, which indicates that the proposed venue will not peacefully coexist with the established rural character of this area.

Second, there is inadequate and unsafe access to the proposed venue. There is only one narrow dirt driveway connecting the property to Black Oak Road, and it is the sole ingress and egress for the entire development.  This access is too narrow and too fragile to safely accommodate 100+ vehicles arriving and leaving at the same time. In any emergency, first responders will struggle to access the site, and vehicles attempting to evacuate could be trapped by the bottleneck.

Third, Black Oak Road is not suited to heavy traffic from concentrated events. Black Oak Road is a two-lane rural road with no shoulder, no street lights, blind curves, and documented single-car crashes, often involving deer strikes. Traffic on this road is normally light; injecting 125 vehicles at once represents a drastic and unsafe increase. Adding this volume of traffic (especially vehicles leaving after alcohol is served) is a predictable recipe for accidents and public danger.

Fourth, the Gulley Ranch event venue will diminish neighbors’ use, enjoyment, and value of their properties. The increase in traffic, noise, amplified music, late-night activity, dust from the gravel driveway, and drainage/sewage runoff will materially interfere with how neighbors use and enjoy their homes. These impacts will also reduce property values and permanently alter the rural ambiance that current residents relied upon when choosing to live here.

Fifth, the Gulley Ranch event venue will slow or prevent normal residential and agricultural development of surrounding properties. Rural activities, including poultry houses, cattle, and firearm use, are common in this area and inherently incompatible with a large commercial entertainment venue.

This will inevitably lead to further conflict and litigation between the venue and neighboring farms, discouraging farmers and homeowners from investing in improvements or continuing their operations.

We respectfully request that the Quorum Court protect the rural community on Black Oak Road and deny the Gulley Ranch permit.