Plan Commission recommends disapproval of Rocky Ridge zoning change for Angola Road site after lengthy debate

The City of Toledo Plan Commission voted to recommend disapproval of three companion rezoning applications from Rocky Ridge Development that would have changed parcels on Angola Road to general industrial to allow sand excavation and the placement of drinking-water treatment residuals for wetland reclamation.

Supporters described the project as a “waste-to-value” plan to reuse residuals from Toledo’s drinking-water treatment plant and reclaim former excavation pits into wetland parkland. Opponents said the operation already generates dust, truck traffic and other nuisances and questioned long-term protections for neighbors if the properties remain industrial zoning but the reclamation plan fails.

The applicants, led by Ed Moore, managing director of Rocky Ridge Development, and owner Charles Stansley, asked the commission to approve three companion cases seeking IG (general industrial) zoning for parcels including 4004 Angola Road. “We consider this project a clean water initiative,” Moore said, noting a packet of community letters he provided. Stansley described long-term work on drinking-water treatment residuals and said the material can become a “waste of value.” He told the commission the City of Toledo’s water plant produces about 70,000 tons of residual material annually…