Commission continues GFT Ready Mix conditional‑use hearing after neighbors raise noise, dust and economic concerns

Joe Mueller, staff presenter, introduced a conditional‑use permit application (PLZU‑25‑0006) for GFT Ready Mix to operate a sand and gravel extraction operation and an ancillary concrete batch plant on a roughly 77‑acre site near Hazen Road and the Gila River.

Mueller said the applicant seeks to operate on about 63 acres with an on‑site batch plant roughly 60 feet tall. Half the site would remain in agricultural/farming use in the near term while mining proceeds from west to east. Because mining operations are uncommon inside Buckeye city limits, staff recommended a customized set of conditions (A–T) tailored to the proposal; among the proposed stipulations were landscaping along Hazen Road, lighting controls and other site‑specific measures the applicant agreed to during review.

Applicant representatives, including Jeff Bliley and John Casey (owner/operator representing GFT Ready Mix), said the operation would provide a local source of aggregate for nearby construction and emphasized mitigation steps. Casey said the site is a wet site that reduces dust, that Maricopa County/ADEQ dust controls apply and that the company plans vehicle wash stations and track‑out controls. He described the operation as locally owned and said the operation would primarily supply the owner’s projects.

Neighbors and equestrian‑center representatives raised concerns about noise, dust, lighting and the effect on an adjacent RV park that supports the equestrian center’s revenue. Don Nargang, general manager for the Equestrian Center, said the RV park and visitors could be deterred by a gravel pit and that the drainage ditch along the boundary serves broader agricultural drainage and could not simply be removed.

Commissioners and staff focused on three areas: (1) hours of operation and night activity, (2) backup‑alarm noise, and (3) landscaping and dust control. The applicant offered to limit extraction activities overnight and to use low‑impact (white‑noise) backup alarms during restricted hours; staff indicated those restrictions could be written into the CUP conditions. Planning leadership also said the city will address code gaps for mining‑type uses in an upcoming code update and that this CUP could include stricter, site‑specific requirements.

After public comment, a commissioner moved (and another seconded) to continue PLZU‑25‑0006 to the April 14 Planning & Zoning meeting so the applicant could meet with the equestrian center manager and the Duncan family; the motion passed by voice vote. The continuation gives the parties several weeks to reach agreement on operational stipulations that staff can convert into CUP conditions for the April hearing.