St. Cloud council approves settlement to end concrete‑crushing at Hickory Place, adopts industrial zoning with conditions

The St. Cloud City Council approved a settlement with Hickory Tree Industrial LLC on March 13 that calls for the concrete‑crushing operation on Parcel 1 of Hickory Place Industrial Park to cease within 45 days and for the property to be rezoned to an industrial planned unit development with limits on permitted uses.

City Attorney Dan Menzares told the council the settlement “provides that the concrete crushing facility will stop existing and operating on that property within 45 days.” He said the agreement also would bar the crushed‑material operation from future permitted uses on the parcel and would include a negotiated list of lighter industrial uses allowed under the PUD.

The settlement resolves a statutory challenge filed under Section 70.51, Florida Statutes, after the council denied a land‑use and zoning request in November 2023 and the special magistrate recommended the council’s denial of the land‑use change was “unreasonable and unfairly burdened” the property. The magistrate recommended the crushing operation not be allowed to continue on the parcel; the settlement adopts that outcome while creating a narrower list of permitted future uses and post‑approval controls.

Neighbors urged the council to remove the crusher. Resident Jennifer Torres said the crushing “affects us. We live there … it’s not the same” and asked the council to consider residents’ health and quality of life. Other nearby…