Controversial concrete recycling plant on hold for Titusville
Plans to build a concrete recycling plant in Titusville are on hold pending an environmental review.
The proposed plant faced major pushback from citizens at a recent City Council meeting, with many citing concerns about noise and pollution, as reasons to reject the project.
Business owners of Independence Recycling, an Ohio-based company, who hope to build the plant near the Space Coast Regional Airport and U.S. 1 said they had plans to mitigate any pollution and that the industrial area had similar plants operate without major issues.
Council voted on April 12 to send the project to the Titusville Environmental Commission for review to study before any final ruling.
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Titusville council member Jo Lynn Nelson said she understands and shares many people’s concerns about the plant but reminded people that there was a legal protocol to stopping the project, which statutorily is allowed to operate on the land.
“We were all concerned about the noise, the dust, the potential pollution, and the impact on our aquifer and the Indian River. However, in order to turn it down, we have to have a legally valid reason. Just saying 'no' will not cut it,” Nelson said.
"I have nothing against your business. I have concerns about the location with all we're trying to do in that area so close to the river," Mayor Dan Diesel said, echoing the worries of many citizens and the Council.
What will the concrete plant actually do?
John Zemball, an engineer on the project, explained the details of the project to the Council, saying that the company, Independence Recycling, will crush concrete at the plant only a few times a year.
The site is zoned industrial and largely will be used to store concrete until enough has accumulated to process it, Zemball said.
He acknowledged concerns voiced by the public and said that there would be a larger buffer than is legally required between the plant and the road and there would be other measures in place to protect the environment.
"Right next to the site is a huge pile of concrete that was dumped there because people don't know where to take it. It's expensive to dump and the closest sites are within 30 miles of Titusville in either direction," Zemball said.
His hopes are that the recycling plant will prevent people from putting more concrete into the landfills when it could be reused. Recycled concrete can be used as road-base and in a variety of construction projects, Zemball said.
Zemball listed several protection measures that would be taken by the plant:
Stormwater pollution prevention plan
Chemical testing of water every quarter
Misting to prevent concrete dust from entering air
Wind buffers to prevent concrete dust from being blown away from site
Zemball said the company has received no complaints or violations at its other plants around the state.
Why are people opposed?
Many people speaking against the project at the meeting said they had little faith that the environmental protections promised by the company would actually work and said that the water used to mist the dust from the air would put a strain on the area's aquifer.
Nayra Atiya said putting the plant less than a mile from homes, hotels, the Enchanted Forest and the lagoon would be more risk than is worth it.
"Crushed cement is toxic," she said, adding that silica dust can cause lifelong damage to those who bring it in. Dust residue will make its way into the lagoon and damage it further, she claimed.
Laurilee Thompson, a commercial fisherwoman and owner of Dixie Crossroads Seafood in Titusville, was also among those opposed to the project, citing concerns about odor, noise, dust and pollution, which she said were commonplace with these sorts of plants.
She suggested the company review other locations farther away from U.S. 1 and the lagoon for the company to put the plant.
"Other communities have passed legislation to keep concrete crushing facilities away from parks and other residential areas," "Now we want to consider allowing one to go in across the street from Tom Statham Park and so close to the river?"
What are the next steps for approving or rejecting the project
Because the plant's approval is based on a conditional-use permit, the city is allowed to add more stringent rules around its operation. But that does not mean the city is allowed to deny the project outright.
After the Titusville Environmental Commission reviews the project further, the project will come back to City Council on June 14, but many members said they were leaning toward opposing the project.
"If you're inclined to deny the application for this development permit, you have to include a written notice... the notice must include a citation to the applicable portions of an ordinance, statute or other legal authority for denial," said city attorney Richard Broome.
That means there has to be some existing law or part of the city's comprehensive plan that Council can point to that would disallow the plant, otherwise it can go forward
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Titusville City Council wants environmental review of recycling plant
