Quarry Dodges Permit Revocation
A Dane County, Wis., committee voted not to revoke a permit for a quarry that some believe is causing damage to nearby properties in the town of Deerfield, Wis. The county’s zoning and land regulation committee voted 3-2 against the revocation of a conditional use permit for Oak Park Quarry after postponing a vote several times in the past months to study the issue. Neighbors have been raising concerns about recent damage to buildings and structures that they believe is related to the mining operation’s blasting.
“We voted to not revoke, with the understanding that if there’s any violations, it’ll be brought back to the committee for revocation,” said Sup. Mary Kolar, District 1.
The quarry received a 10-year conditional use permit in 2009, with one of the requirements being that it receives all applicable local, state and federal permits, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wisconsin Quarry Granted CUP
The Christiana, Wis., town board approved a renewal of a 10-year Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Bjoin Limestone/HeptaS, based in Janesville, Wis., for a limestone quarry three miles south of Cambridge, Wis. The quarry is owned by Stanley Lien, Cambridge, with Bjoin working as a subcontractor on the property, according to The Cambridge News & The Independent.
The board’s action followed a decision by Dane County’s Zoning and Land Regulation Committee on May 10 that granted the quarry owner a limited time opportunity to meet compliance requirements on the original CUP. An April inspection of the mining facility by Dane County zoning officials found the quarry to be in violation of many conditions of its permit and a revocation hearing had been scheduled.
Virginia Quarry Seeks Special-Exemption Permit
A rock quarry project is back on the agenda of the Washington County, Va., board of supervisors, according to the Bristol Herald-Courier. The proposed Sugar Hollow Quarry – which is opposed by some community members – would be on about 121 acres of land.
The board of supervisors will consider a request for a special-exception permit, which would allow the quarry to proceed by rezoning the property from general agriculture to general industrial. The request is being made by Farmlands Inc. and Clinch Properties, which own the land. The project was considered last October by the county’s planning commission, which voted unanimously to send the request on to the board of supervisors with its recommendation.
Illinois Quarry Denied Asphalt Plant
The Dixon, Ill., planning and zoning commission unanimously rejected a proposal for Martin and Co. Excavating to build an asphalt plant at its Dixon quarry. The proposal requests a special use permit to rezone 15.5 acres from agricultural to heavy industrial at Wastone Quarry, a nearly 177-acre operation that sits just outside the city limits near the southwest end of Dixon, according to saukvalley.com.
Commission chairwoman Josie Whaley said she thought the most prominent issue with the project is because the property is technically in the county’s jurisdiction, the city would not have any authority with the company. The Dixon quarry housed a portable asphalt plant from 2010 to 2011, which was made possible by a state statute that allowed the plant’s temporary operation because of a contracted project in the area.
South Dakota Quarry Gets Go-Ahead
After conducting three public hearings in as many months, and over the objections of hundreds of local residents, the Lawrence County, S.D., Commission voted 3-2 to approve a conditional use permit that will allow a second rock quarry off Crook City Road in Centennial Valley, S.D., according to the Rapid City, Journal.
The hearing was attended by more than 100 local residents. As was the case at each of the earlier county hearings, the only people to testify in favor of the small-scale rock quarry were the applicant, Eric Hoffmen of Mt. View Ranches LLC and his attorney. Conversely, dozens provided verbal and written opposition to the proposed 192-acre quarry in previous hearings.
Much of the opposition has focused on air and noise pollution created by the sand and gravel crushing operation, safety issues on the narrow roadway that will be exacerbated by an estimated 100 truck trips per day, and the potential for reduced property values on neighboring homes.