Pittsboro concrete plant proposal stalls after community pushback
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Plans for a concrete plant in the Hendricks County town of Pittsboro have stalled amid community pushback about its location and the demand that would be placed on local infrastructure.
The Pittsboro Town Council had been considering annexation and zoning requests for Greencastle-based Cash Concrete Products Inc., which sought to build a plant in a largely rural plot of land that is not currently a part of the town’s limits.
“We want to expand our footprint, bring our brand to our clients, get a little closer to those projects,” said Neal Cash, vice president of Cash Concrete, at a Pittsboro Plan Commission meeting on May 28.
The most recent proposal sought to annex about 100 acres of land outside of Pittsboro—nearly 15 of which would be rezoned from agricultural to industrial, thus allowing a plant that makes ready-mix concrete. Cash Concrete sought to be a part of Pittsboro to tap into its utilities, which would require annexation.
The project received support on introduction at a June 4 meeting of the town council. However, on June 18, a fiscal plan required for the annexation failed after the vote received no second motion.
The plan commission had voted in late May to not recommend the plant’s portion of the annexation area, with members raising concerns about the need for industrial rezoning, the development’s effect on water quantity and quality, and deviation from the town’s comprehensive plan.
Though no projected investment was disclosed, Council President Jarod Baker told IBJ on Tuesday the plant could have employed between 10 to 15 people. Council members noted during meetings they had not discussed granting tax abatements for the project.
Cash told IBJ in an email on Tuesday that the company is continuing to explore its options to expand but is unsure about the location and timeline.
Baker told IBJ he doesn’t know if the company is still interested in pursuing a plant in Pittsboro.
Some Pittsboro residents (population of about 3,000) pushed back against the development. Attendance at the June 4 town council meeting maxed out the fire code limit for occupancy in the building. Dozens more spectators were in the parking lot listening to the meeting through a pickup truck’s speakers. An online petition reached about 275 signatures.
Concerns over water quantity threaded through several residents’ public testimony. They noted they recent had observed water level decreases in their wells and were worried a plant would cause levels to plummet. Other potential issues raised included environmental detriments, road wear and tear, decreased property values and quality of life drawbacks.
At the plan commission meeting, Cash said the plant would subject to processes and permits that would limit environmental impacts. He also said the company would work with the town to address stress on local roads.
Resident Kara Sheads told IBJ her opposition was not about Cash Concrete, but rather that the location was not ideal for that type of development. Instead, she said, she would prefer to see the project near the local Steel Dynamics Inc. plant, where she said the zoning matches the project’s intent.
“We already have an area that is zoned and capable of meeting these standards and keeping the industrial area of its nature together,” she said. “Putting this out north of the interstate by residential in farmland just doesn’t make growth sense for the town because, as the town wants to expand, builders do not want to build next to our concrete plant.”
Placing the plant at the proposed site would stunt the town’s growth, Sheads said, and wouldn’t align with the town’s comprehensive land use plan. She also said the proposal felt forced, and the utility and infrastructural needs also are also not in place to support the development.