Quarry zoning request could be postponed again
By Cindy Wojdyla Cain ccain@stmedianetwork.com January 7, 2013 7:52PM
Updated: February 9, 2013 6:15AM
JOLIET — It appears that a zoning request for a concrete crushing and recycling operation in Wheatland Township won’t be decided after all at Tuesday’s Will County Board land use committee meeting.
The company has asked that the case, which was postponed in November, be bumped for another month because of a family matter, said Eileen Franz, a planner with the county’s land use department.
Dozens of Wheatland Township resident who are opposed to the zoning request were scheduled to attend the 9:30 a.m. meeting at the county building in downtown Joliet.
It’s not clear when the issue will next be on the land use committee’s agenda, Franz said. The committee normally meets on the second Tuesday of the month, but that falls on Lincoln’s birthday in February and county government is closed, she explained.
It will be up to the committee to vote on a new date during Tuesday’s meeting, she said.
Boughton Materials wants to add a concrete crushing and recycling unit to its limestone quarry at 22750 W. Hassert Blvd., but neighbors who live near the site fear a toxic dust will float over their homes. They also have concerns about water runoff from stored concrete contaminating the adjacent DuPage River and increased truck traffic mixing with teen drivers from Plainfield East High School.
Company officials say the concrete recycling operation will be a minuscule part of their business. The company will take precautions to prevent environmental issues for nearby residential areas and truck traffic would only increase by five to 10 trucks a day, they said during the November committee meeting.
In addition to the zoning change from agricultural to industrial, the company also would need a special use permit. The county’s planning and zoning commission voted against the zoning requests, but the commission’s vote is advisory.
The Will County Coalition for Responsible Industrial Activity recently submitted a letter from 13 homeowners associations that represent more than 5,000 homes and 20,000 residents opposed to zoning change and special use permit.
