Miami County Planning Commission continues quarry CUP to await traffic study and utility input

The Miami County Planning Commission continued consideration of 25001 CUP 1880 Enterprises, a request to expand an existing quarry off Hedge Lane, to its June 3 meeting and asked that the applicant complete a traffic impact study and that county staff solicit responses from road and bridge and the affected utilities.

Jennifer Kane, Assistant Director of Planning, opened the staff presentation and summarized the application and draft conditions, saying, “Staff recommends approval of the application.” Kane told commissioners the site has operated as a quarry since before the county’s current zoning rules and that the applicant had submitted a reclamation plan approved by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

The commission’s decision to continue followed hours of testimony from the applicant, quarry representatives and more than a dozen neighbors. The public raised traffic safety, blasting, dust and water-quality concerns; commissioners cited the need for a formal traffic study and confirmation from utility providers before making a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.

David Waters, attorney for 18 80 Enterprises, told the commission the applicant had worked with staff and was “agreeable to all these conditions” and sought only final language changes to some stipulations. Gabe Dandar, project manager for 18 80 Enterprises, provided the applicant’s production estimate and said, “our best guess is that it will take us 20 years to mine the entirety of the mineable area.” Tim Anderson, identified in the record as an owner, said reclamation plans will be approved through Kansas agencies and described the end use as “some type of lake and return to farm ground, or some type of hay ground.”

Neighbors described existing impacts. Sarah Cornett, who said her property is “directly across from the 1880 Enterprises property,” told commissioners that trucks have been lining up on Hedge Lane in the morning and that she had personally timed dozens of trucks and observed speeding. Kevin Stone, whose family has owned adjacent property since the 1950s, cited dust and noise, and others testified about cracked foundations, damaged cisterns and wildlife concerns.

Key technical and regulatory points raised during the hearing included: the county’s draft conditions limiting high‑impact quarry activities to business hours (7 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday–Friday, and limited Saturdays), a proposed requirement that the applicant complete a traffic impact study reviewed by the county’s Road and Bridge Department, and state permitting responsibilities for air, water and reclamation handled through KDHE and the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Staff also noted that state statute (KSA 49-501) affects setback and mining standards and that a protest petition under state quarry law does not raise the approval threshold to a three‑quarters vote of the Board of County Commissioners.

Commissioners were split. In a roll-call on the continuation motion the commission recorded five votes in favor and three against; staff announced the motion carried 5‑3 and the item was continued to the June 3, 2025 meeting “pending a traffic study.” The public hearing was closed at the Planning Commission level; staff said the commission’s recommendation will go to the Board of County Commissioners if the applicant proceeds.

The continuation means the quarry may continue to operate under its existing conditional-use authorization while the county and applicant work on the traffic study, the proposed improvement and maintenance agreement for county roads, and any outstanding utility or state‑agency reviews. Staff said a written improvement-and-maintenance agreement would have to be approved by Road and Bridge and county legal counsel before commencement of expanded operations, and would be reviewed every three years to assess ongoing impacts.

The commission and staff identified several issues for the traffic study and agreement to address: where queued trucks will wait so they do not block Hedge Lane; whether a turning lane or other geometric improvements are needed at the entrance; responsibility for long‑term maintenance; and verification of any public water or electric lines that might be affected by future roadwork. Commissioners and staff also discussed notification to nearby residents of planned blasting, while acknowledging weather and operational constraints that can require last‑minute changes to blasting schedules.

The Planning Commission’s continuation preserves the record and the applicant’s ability to refine conditions. Staff and the applicant told the commission they would continue to work on wording of conditions and on coordinating the traffic study with Road and Bridge prior to the next meeting.