The Utica City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 14 to reject an offer from Zininga Cement Construction to buy a 22‑acre city parcel off Chapanton Street for use as a concrete crushing operation.

The denial followed public comment from nearby residents who said a crushing operation would create noise, dust and heavy truck traffic near homes and local schools. “I live at 45666 Cass Avenue and just made aware today that they're looking, company was looking at purchasing or renting the property at the 22 acres … for a potential cement crushing facility,” resident Ken Rinke told the council during the public‑comment period. His wife, Mary Rinke, added that the existing level of noise on Cass Avenue already made outdoor time unpleasant and said, “it's just gonna be too noisy, too much dust, too much traffic.”

Mayor Calandrino told the council the parcel is “our last parcel of undeveloped land in the city,” and urged caution about accepting a use he said would not advance the city’s long‑term goals for downtown redevelopment. The mayor also noted the offer submitted by the company was below the listed price and that the purchase paperwork had expired.

Councilmember Dionne moved to refuse the company’s purchase offer; Councilmember Torenzi seconded. On a roll‑call vote the council recorded unanimous approval to deny the offer (Torenzi: yes; O'Donnell: yes; Dionne: yes; Backus: yes; Weaver: yes; DeRent: yes; Mayor Calandrino: yes). The mayor declared, “The request is denied. The offer is denied.”

Clarifying details from the meeting record show the property had been listed for $450,000 and the company’s offer was reported as $375,000. Council members and residents stated the submitted purchase agreement had passed its response and closing deadlines; the mayor characterized the expiration as making the agreement “questionable” as to whether it remained in effect.

The council’s action was limited to refusing the company’s purchase offer; no alternative sale or redevelopment plan was adopted at the meeting.