Douglas County Commissioners unanimously voted Wednesday night to defer a vote that would have decided to deny or accept a conditional use permit for a quarry that would lie just outside city limits.
The issue will be deferred back to planning commissioners for further discussion.
The vote comes after Mid-States Materials said they would fund improvements to East 2300 Road, changing the trucks’ original route through Church Street.
Commissioners said they decided to defer the vote because they did not hear Mid-States Material’s full presentation on the potential quarry and its truck route changes.
Commissioner Shannon Reid added they cannot assume the concerns with Hamm’s quarry will be the same as Mid-State’s potential concerns. Many Hesper Heights and Eudora residents expressed frustrations about Hamm’s quarry in relation to the proposed quarry.
Reid said the Douglas County Planning Commission’s recommendation of denial against the quarry proposal was not unanimous and she was curious about what the Planning Commission would think about the proposed changes to the truck routes.
Mid-States Materials representative Rich Eckert, who asked commissioners to defer the vote, said investing a substantial amount of time and money into improving East 2300 Road could potentially answer many of the community’s concerns.
“From what I heard from the community, the main issue was the haul route,” Eckert said.
Many Eudora and Hesper Heights residents, however, said improvements to East 2300 Road would not be enough to receive community approval for another quarry. Sixteen people provided public comments, with 13 against the quarry and three for the quarry.
Some residents who were against the quarry expressed concerns for their housing values.
Eudora Realtor Caren Rowland directly asked the commissioners questions about their housing values after Mid-States Materials assured them their housing values would rise. She also expressed concerns about the loud blastings that already occur from Hamm’s quarry.
“Would you buy a home next to a quarry that blasts every day?” Rowland said. “Do you think any developers would want to build next to a quarry that blasts every day?”
Others against the quarry expressed concern about Eudora’s future growth, especially with the arrival of Panasonic and the building of the STAR Bond district.
“We cannot overlook what will happen to Eudora and the county’s population growth if this quarry is allowed to proceed,” Eudora resident Logan Foster said. “We will see our city grow and it can only grow in one direction. These quarries will prevent others from residing in Eudora.”
Others expressed concerns that if the commissioners deferred the vote back to the Planning Commission again, it would take months before the quarry is either denied or approved.
“I’m a teacher,” Eudora resident Rochelle Beatty said. “If my students don’t do the work on their first try, they won’t get any extra credit. I don’t know why we are giving [Mid-States Materials] extra credit.”
Those who spoke in favor of the quarry said the community would need rock in their future building and expansion projects and that Mid-States Materials’ quality of rock is better than most.
Further decisions regarding the potential quarry will be made at a future Douglas County Planning Commission meeting.
Reach reporter Jenna Barackman at [email protected]
