The details
Construction for Argyle Landing has already started, according to town documents. The development will consist of 222 acres with 198 residential lots and two commercial lots, which includes the Argyle Sports Academy, per town documents.
The proposed concrete batch plant would be placed 850 feet from The Settlement neighborhood and 1,825 feet from the residential community Avalon at Argyle, according to town documents.
The batch plant would create 1,200 to 1,500 cubic yards of concrete on an average day, said Rome Barnes, the development project manager for Argyle Landing. Without the batch plant, the project would require 1,500 to 1,700 ready-mix truck loads for the needed concrete, leading to about 11 total cement truck trips on FM 407 every business day during construction, per town documents.
“If we can batch this concrete, it’s probably a 40-day deal,” Barnes said. “If we have to wait on [ready-mix trucks] to come in, it could turn into a three-month deal.”
What they’re saying
Many residents from nearby neighborhoods spoke at the planning and zoning public hearing in opposition to the batch plant.
“I’ve been coming to these [meetings] for 10 years in Argyle,” resident Travis Lechowit said. “With this development in particular, this is the third time we’ve had to come and every time [the developer is] asking for a variance in their favor.”
Additionally, residents cited concerns for long-term health issues developing because of the batch plant.
“My daughter is a civil engineer, [and] I talked to her about it, and she said concrete plants aren’t good,” Lechowit said. “And that’s somebody who’s just graduated college with a civil engineering degree specializing in concrete structures.”
The planning and zoning commission voted to deny the special use permit after hearing the resident’s concerns.
“I'm not convinced that the impacts that would be created by the additional trucking that is coming in and out of the neighborhood would be worse than the air, noise [and] lighting issues that you're going to get from a batch plant,” Commissioner Jody Johnson said.
Commissioner Kenton Miersma voted against recommending denial for the concrete batch plant because he wanted to consider what conditions could be placed on the special use permit to address resident’s concerns.
“I'd like to see some of those conditions developed more and see this [item] postponed to a later date with more information [and] more time for the public to become informed,” Miersma said.
Looking ahead
Council will consider the planning and zoning commission’s recommendation for denial of the batch plant at the Dec. 15 regular meeting.
