A dedicated group of Franklin County residents spoke yesterday at a public hearing regarding a developer’s request to re-zone land near their homes so he can build a concrete plant. Great Rivers has represented a group of citizens on this matter since 2014.
Landvatter Enterprises, LLC, proposes to build a ready-mix concrete plant on tree-covered hills just 600 feet from the Shaw Nature Reserve in Franklin County. There are dozens of houses and apartments in the area between the Nature Reserve and the proposed plant. The homeowners believe the proposed plant will cause them to breathe in dust, suffer from noise and increased traffic, and believe that the wildlife, fish, birds, flora and fauna in the Nature Reserve will also suffer from the plant.
A handful of residents who could make the hearing at 12:30 pm on a weekday urged the Franklin County Comission to reject the developer’s request for rezoning. They cited the impact a concrete plant would have on their quality of life, interrupting the quiet and tranquil atmosphere of their neighborhood, and concerns that the air pollution from the plant would negatively impact their health. Additionally, they expressed concern over how the plant would harm local wildlife. One resident pointed out that, ironically, the developer’s wife once went on record about a new wedding venue proposed near her own residence and did not want that nuisance in her backyard… and stated he would certainly prefer a wedding venue to the concrete plant if the developer wanted to change his business plan!
Mavis Huff, homeowner hear proposed concrete plant.
Mavis Huff, a longtime homeowner adjacent to the property the developer now owns, said, “People are more important than money – and we were here first.”
Kathleen Henry, President of Great Rivers, told the Commission that “the County doesn’t exist to make one person a profit at the expense of others.”
The County Commission is expected to make a decision within a month to rezone the land allowing a concrete plant or to deny the request for rezoning.
For more information on the history of this fight, you can check out our past blog posts: