PERMITTING – JUNE 2020


Quarry Files Application to Expand

Nelson Aggregate has filed an application to expand the quarry they operate in north Burlington, Ontario, Canada, according to the Burlington Gazette.

The application was delivered to the city, the Region of Halton, the Niagara Escarpment Commission and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry as well as the members of the Joint Agency Review Team (JART)

The proposed expansion to the Burlington Quarry will require approvals under the Aggregate Resources Act, the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act, and the Planning Act. A Regional Official Plan Amendment and a City of Burlington Official Plan Amendment are required to permit the quarry expansion. The objective of the JART is to conduct a coordinated review of all materials in support of these amendments simultaneously.

“At this time, the Nelson Aggregate Co. application for their proposed expansion has not yet been deemed complete. An internal technical meeting has been scheduled for later this month to begin the review process. JART members will review the application for completeness and determine if it can be accepted for processing,” read a notice from Burlington City Hall.


Missouri Quarry Restart Hits Roadblock

Development group I-35 Holdings is suing the city of Kearney, Mo., claiming city leaders used an improper methodology to determine if protest petitions were valid. The suit also claims a related super majority vote was not needed for passage of the project, according to the Courier Tribune.

At issue is a conditional use permit and rezoning request from I-35 Holdings, helmed by Chris Shipley and Craig Porter, of about 128 acres at the southeast quadrant of Interstate 35 and 19th Street. The pair sought rezoning of the land to a planned industrial district and sought the permit to allow quarry operations on the property for up to seven years.

Reopening of the quarry on the property, which was in operation decades ago, was needed, the developers said, only to allow removal of rock and leveling of the land to prepare it for a future mixed-used development that could be worth more than $200 million and would include apartments as well as retail and restaurant spaces.

Approximately 80 residents spoke against the project during planning and zoning and aldermanic meetings. Residents cited possible air and noise pollution, devaluation of properties, increased traffic, disruption to nature and area property damage associated with blasting as reasons for their opposition.


New York Operation Seeks Expansion

New York regulators will allow the expansion of a long-dormant sand and gravel mine in East Hampton. Mining company Bistrian Materials plans to excavate six acres of land, digging 110 ft. below groundwater, creating a man-made lake, according to WSHU radio.

There are at least two wells that serve more than a thousand homes less than a mile from the mining operation. Nearby homeowners are concerned it would expose their drinking water to contaminants. 

East Hampton Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said the state needs to better monitor pollutants coming from sand and gravel mines.


Canadian Quarry Fighting to Open

According to TBNewswatch, a company trying to open a new gravel pit on private property in Gorham Township, Ontario, Canada, said it will do whatever it can to mitigate the concerns of area residents.

Lempiala Sand & Gravel, owned by Bruno’s Contracting, wants to haul aggregate from a site near Trout Lake to its processing facility on Dog Lake Road. The Lakehead Rural Planning Board approved a zoning by-law for the property two years ago.

Recently, however, Ontario’s Local Planning Appeal Tribunal quashed the by-law on appeal from the Trout Lake Campers Association and other residents.

The tribunal ruled that the planning board is required to take social and environmental considerations into account, not just planning documents that support aggregate extraction.

Facing the prospect of a new application process, Bruno’s spokesperson Silvio Di Gregorio said, “Although we’re not happy with the outcome, we understand where the decision came from. We will do some more studies, and we’ll take it from there.”

Di Gregorio said opening the gravel pit is essential because there are limited remaining sources of concrete aggregate.