(St. Joseph County, IN) - A proposed concrete plant east of New Carlisle has been denied approval.

 

Kuert Concrete of South Bend was seeking special use permission for agricultural land on Edison Road midway between Tulip and Sage.

 

The purpose of the operation would be to store aggregate materials and produce concrete for the large construction projects coming to that area. Application documents indicated that material extraction from the site may be necessary, but that the land would eventually be returned to its original condition for continued agricultural use. 28-foot tall silos for storing materials would also be constructed.

 

The St. Joseph County Council deliberated the request last week and turned it down. The primary sticking point was roadway access and timing. Since the land sits on non-truck routes, the county would require Kuert to improve and possibly expand roads to the construction site, which could not be done by the spring.

 

Kuert President Brad Webb told HTNN that the current GM battery plant and other possible developments in the Indiana Enterprise Center are about to create an extraordinary need for concrete. “There will be a demand for concrete of a magnitude we have not seen in this area,” he said. Smith Ready Mix already operates a concrete facility on Edison Road. Webb says demand for projects will require additional concrete to be trucked in from out of the area.

 

Going forward, Webb said that his company will look for properties along US 20 or SR 2. Another option is to seek a zoning change that would allow another concrete plant within the IEC footprint.