Neighbors oppose Trinity Construction zoning change; council denies Commercial Light Industrial rezoning request
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Summary
Residents of Butternut Ridge told the Dorchester County Council on Oct. 6 they have endured concrete‑crushing operations, dust and increased flooding; council denied a request to rezone a Butternut Road parcel from General Commercial to Commercial Light Industrial following Planning Commission recommendation.
Residents near Butternut Road urged Dorchester County Council on Oct. 6 to deny a rezoning request they say would formalize industrial‑scale concrete crushing and worsen dust, noise and flooding. Council followed the Planning Commission and staff recommendation and denied the rezoning request.
Tammy Hutto, a Butternut Ridge resident, said the neighborhood has suffered from concrete crushing and asphalt stockpiles on a neighboring lot owned or operated by Trinity Construction LLC. “We have schools, elderly, children; we feel like they’re at a health risk,” Hutto said, citing silica dust, noise and “exponential flooding” near the subdivision.
Neighbor Mike Hugge told the council the dust and noise have been recurring, and that silica from crushing concrete is a documented occupational hazard. “We don’t believe it’s in harmony with the existing zone properties around the Trinity Construction lot,” Hugge said, noting nearby uses include residential properties and a school.
Planning staff and the Planning Commission had recommended denial of the rezoning request (Rezoning Request No. 940) from General Commercial (CG) to Commercial Light Industrial (CLI). Council voted to deny first reading of the rezoning following that recommendation.
Why it matters
Neighbors say the current operations harm air quality and residential amenity; silica dust has recognized health risks when airborne and inhaled. The denial preserves the current commercial zoning classification and prevents expansion to a broader set of light industrial uses that would explicitly permit the crushing activity cited by residents.
What council and staff said
Council members noted the Planning Commission and staff recommendation to deny the rezoning and recorded a motion to deny first reading. Planning staff noted that CLI zoning would allow more intensive industrial operations than the surrounding area currently contains.
Next steps
Residents may pursue code‑compliance complaints with county codes staff and environmental complaints with state agencies if they believe unlawful operations or public‑health hazards exist; the council’s denial keeps the property in its present zoning category and would require any applicant seeking industrial operations to pursue different approvals or seek relief through other processes.