Residents demand shutdown of Kronos concrete facility over dust; city agency says fugitive‑dust plan approved as council pursues downzoning

Residents living near the Kronos (also referred to as Crown Enterprises) concrete mixing and crushing operation pressed Detroit City Council on April 8 to force the company to stop or dramatically reduce operations, saying airborne dust from the site is causing illness and making neighborhoods unlivable.

Several residents and neighborhood advocates described ongoing dust clouds, truck noise and traffic near homes and parks that they said are making people sick and endangering children. “This 43‑acre site … does not belong in a residential neighborhood,” said Reverend Sharon Butchery, a board member of the Detroit Hamtramck Coalition for Advancing Healthy Environments. “Silica dust is a result of concrete mixing and causes silicosis, which is a deadly disease,” resident David Bird, an environmental chemist, told the council.

The Buildings/Code…