Starkey hears about concrete plant plans

Starkey hears about concrete plant plans

STARKEY--In a planning board meeting that filled the conference space, officials and residents discussed a proposed concrete plant that may be built on agriculturally zoned land, Tuesday, July 5. While residents brought up concerns regarding potential health and water use issues, planning board members remained adamant they are legally constrained by what they can consider.
"The only thing this planning board can consider regarding this application is whether a concrete plant would be considered heavy industry or light industry," said Planning Board Vice-Chair Steven Fulkerson. "Light industry is permitted under agricultural zoning with a special use permit, heavy industry is not."
The zoning regulations for Starkey further define the difference between light and heavy industrial as:
• Does not cause (light industrial) or likely to cause (heavy industrial) a significant impact beyond the boundaries of the operation on: noise levels; light or glare levels; vibration levels; air quality; water quality; emissions of smoke, fumes, gas, particulate matter, radiation, other toxins, or odors.
• Does not pose (light industrial) or poses (heavy industrial) a greater risk of fire or explosion than uses ordinarily permitted in the area.
• Does not cause (light industrial) or likely to cause (heavy industrial) a major impact such as to cause a burden on town water use and/or environmental impact including either withdrawal of water from the watershed or disposal of water from outside the watershed or disposal of polluted water; or on town sewage use or other waste disposal use; or on energy use; or on the amount or type of traffic within the town.
• Meets (light industrial) or unable to meet (heavy industrial) all town environmental or other regulations relevant to the operation.
At issue is an application by Custom Mix Concrete, Inc. owner John Pipher to open a Ready Mix concrete plant at 6173 State Route 14A that would process multiple truckloads daily, require an estimated 8,000-20,000 gallons of water daily, and operate roughly 11 hours a day at least five days a week. Pipher does not currently own the land but instead has an agreement in place with the owner to purchase five of a total of 28 acres to create the plant.
While some local business owners spoke in favor of the project, the majority of those that spoke lived close to the proposed plant and were against its construction. In the end, no action was taken by the board and the public hearing was left open so it could be resumed at the next meeting.
Pipher gave a presentation on the proposed project, detailing not only what it would look like but also why it is required.
"There is a (concrete) shortage in Yates County," said Pipher, "It often takes an hour and a half to get here and gas prices are up."
Pipher said that while there is a concrete plant in Penn Yan, many contractors find they need to go outside the area to meet timeframes for their projects. That leaves a large number of local developments at the mercy of concrete plants up to 90 minutes away.
By having a local concrete plant ready to service the work being performed in the area, Pipher argued it actually could lower truck traffic.
Multiple local business owners and contractors spoke in favor of the plant and detailed how difficult it has been for them to secure concrete in the current environment.
Homeowners who would live near the plant were not assuaged by the presentation. One speaker voiced concerns that silica dust, which can cause permanent lung damage called silicosis, is found in concrete, and was too much to overlook.
Other residents voiced similar health concerns while also explaining concerns that increased traffic surrounding the plant would damage the rural nature of the area.
Opponents also accused board members of dismissing their concerns, leading Fulkerson to reiterate that the planning board is legally bound by what they can and can not consider in relation to the special permit application.
The next planning board meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 2.