Planning commissioners recommend approval of Suncor concrete batch plant, with conditions on noise, dust and lighting

The Cedar City Planning Commission voted to recommend that City Council approve a conditional use permit for a Suncor/Clyde Companies concrete batch plant proposed west of the airport, contingent on the applicant resolving outstanding technical conditions with city staff.

The plant proposal, presented by Greg Flint of Clyde Companies, would place a wet concrete batch facility on roughly 50–56 acres just west of Highway 56 and adjacent to a rail spur. Flint told the commission the site is attractive because it is industrially zoned and next to rail service that would allow cement and fly ash to be delivered by train and piped in, reducing truck deliveries. "We're excited to look at building essentially a Clyde campus of which this concrete batch plant is one of those items on this property," Flint said during his presentation.

Why it matters: commissioners raised persistent concerns about noise, dust and compatibility with nearby homes. Staff recommended conditions that require a professional noise-impact study that demonstrates mitigation measures will reduce noise to accepted industry standards and presents conclusions in lay terms. Kent, a city staff planner, summarized staff’s position: the city lacks a local noise standard and proposed relying on EPA guidance as a benchmark while also requiring an engineered mitigation plan from a qualified acoustician.

Noise, hours and truck traffic: Suncor representatives said the enclosed wet plant and other mitigation will limit noise and that the operation would typically be served by about 30–35 ready-mix trucks. Ray Nelson, Suncor’s area manager, said, "we anticipate in the right 30 to 35 trucks" to handle local demand. The applicant said it prefers the ability to operate 24/7 to serve nighttime roadway or UDOT projects, while staff and some commissioners emphasized the sensitivity of a facility adjacent to existing neighborhoods and asked the company to produce modeling that covers overnight hours.

Modeling and mitigation: the applicant contracted MD Acoustics to model potential noise and has produced interim heat maps showing how enclosure and site orientation change predicted noise levels. Applicants and staff discussed the EPA day–night average guideline (55 dB DNL) and a baseline monitoring result the applicant reported as roughly 59.8 dB for the site, which complicates compliance if the EPA average is used as a strict cutoff. Bill Gaml of Clyde said the team has submitted FAA coordinates and received clearance letters for structure heights; FAA review flagged a 150-foot clearance threshold at the closest point but company representatives said they have FAA documentation.

Other conditions discussed: commissioners and staff asked the applicant to provide a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPP), to hard-surface required employee parking and circulation areas to limit dust, and to commit to a truck-route plan that directs heavy vehicles east rather than toward nearby residences. The applicant proposed an 8-foot block wall on the west property line and offered other mitigation such as enclosing louder equipment and locating noisier operations away from the west side of the plant. The applicant objected to a staff request to plant trees along much of the half-mile-long western frontage as excessive and costly; staff had recommended a buffer to improve compatibility with the general plan.

Public hearing and outcome: during the open public hearing several residents and stakeholders spoke or were acknowledged; Phil Schmidt clarified that train operations and aircraft are not covered by the city conditional use permit and noted neighborhood outreach. After questions and back-and-forth with staff, a commissioner moved to give a positive recommendation for the CUP for Suncor’s proposed plant on the condition that Suncor work in good faith with city staff to resolve outstanding technical items prior to City Council consideration. The motion was seconded and carried; the commission recorded at least one dissenting vote. The commission then voted to table remaining agenda items to a later meeting.

What’s next: the commission’s positive recommendation, with the listed conditions and the requirement that the applicant complete additional studies in collaboration with staff, will go to the Cedar City Council for final action. The council is expected to consider the CUP after staff review and any additional materials from the applicant.