Planning board approves O'Brien Ready Mix CUP after extended public opposition and discussion of litigation

The Washington County Planning Board on Oct. 30 approved a high‑intensity conditional use permit for O'Brien Ready Mix following an extended public hearing in which dozens of neighbors and several attorneys testified for and against the application.

Planning staff described the proposal as a 4.5‑acre concrete‑mixing operation on a 7.42‑acre tract, with proposed hours generally beginning early in the morning, 10 full‑time employees and 4–6 mixer trucks moving on business days. Staff said 91 property notifications were mailed and that the county had received 72 emails/letters and roughly 338 petition signatures in opposition, with additional support letters and petitions submitted by the applicant.

The public record at the hearing was dominated by residents who said the facility is too close to homes, Bob Kidd Lake and other local water features and that concrete batching and related truck traffic would harm air quality, water quality, wildlife and property values. Kimberly Fuller, who owns 16 acres on Bob…