Larimer County approves WH Property Holdings mining special review with wildlife, dust and noise conditions

Larimer County commissioners on Thursday approved a special review allowing WH Property Holdings LLC to operate a phased sand-and-gravel mining operation and accessory portable processing on a 90.87‑acre parcel west of Interstate 25, north of Wellington.

The Board voted 3–0 to approve file 24‑zone‑3688, following a staff presentation from Michael Whitley, who described the request as mining on roughly 56.4 acres with on‑site crushing and screening and the possible use of a portable asphalt batch plant. Whitley said the applicant proposes phased mining in roughly 5–10 acre increments with concurrent reclamation; average pit depth is expected to be about 15 feet with local maximums of 20–25 feet and an estimated project reclamation horizon of about 20 years.

Why it matters: County staff and referral agencies recommended limits and monitoring to reduce community and environmental impacts while preserving local aggregate supply for road and infrastructure work. The applicant argued the portable, project‑specific operations are smaller in profile than larger permanent sites and emphasized reclamation and neighbor communications.

Key details and conditions - Site and parties: the parcel is listed at 12244 North County Road 5J; the applicant is Connell Resources (represented by John Warren) and the…