Council approves specific‑use permit for proposed Synthesia chemical plant on North Perkins Road
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Summary
The Stillwater City Council approved a specific‑use permit allowing Synthesia to develop a chemical manufacturing facility at 4115 North Perkins Road, subject to Planning Commission conditions including a full‑length Perkins sidewalk and parking based on 1.5 spaces per employee (5–0).
The Stillwater City Council on March 23 approved a specific‑use permit for a proposed chemical manufacturing facility at 4115 North Perkins Road, clearing the way for Synthesia to build an initial phase of a three‑phase plant north of the existing Kingspan facility.
Staff presented the application (CC‑26‑46) and noted the property is zoned IG (General Industrial) and that chemical manufacturing requires a specific‑use permit. Henry Bibelheimer, Development Services, summarized Planning Commission conditions recommending construction of a six‑foot sidewalk along the full Perkins Road frontage and that the parking requirement be set at 1.5 spaces per employee on the largest shift.
Steven Ghost of Ghost & Associates, representing Synthesia and property owner Kingspan Roofing, told the council the company uses a glycolysis process to recycle polyester (largely from polyethylene terephthalate bottles) and produces a base ingredient for foam insulated boards. Ghost said the process operates at “about 280 degrees,” will be gravity fed into reactor towers, and generate low‑concentration volatile organic compound (VOC) off‑gases that will be treated through filtration and an air‑permitting process with state regulators. He said wastewater will be stored on site and taken off‑site for treatment rather than discharged into the city system.
Ghost described the project footprint and phasing: an initial eastern phase with manufacturing and office space, three reactor towers (each roughly 95 feet tall) in later build‑outs, three tank farms east of the building, and a shared parking arrangement with Kingspan. He said the company employs more than 300 people globally and expects about 27 employees on site in three shifts at full build‑out of phase 1.
Councilors expressed concerns about odor, emissions, and proximity to a residential area northwest of the site. Bibelheimer and Ghost said the HOA and residents within the 300‑foot notice did not submit comments to planning staff and that the applicant is working with an environmental consultant to obtain required state air and wastewater permits. Ghost emphasized that emissions are “low VOC” and that off‑gases and solids would be controlled and managed.
After discussion and a motion to accept the Planning Commission recommendation with the stated conditions, the council voted 5–0 to approve the specific‑use permit. The approval does not replace required state or federal environmental permits; city approval authorizes the land‑use change only.
The council’s action follows a unanimous Planning Commission recommendation from March 3, 2026. The applicant said construction groundwork may begin this summer and that Lambert Construction has been selected as the general contractor for phase 1.
The city clerk will record the permit conditions and next steps, and the project remains subject to applicable state permitting for air and wastewater before construction or operations can begin.
