Planning commission denies expansion of Shinger Avenue concrete-mix operation after neighbors raise dust and traffic concerns

The Jasper County Planning Commission on July 14 denied a request to expand a legal nonconforming concrete-mixing operation at 498 Shinger Avenue (TMS 0800003002 and 0800003006) after residents raised concerns about noise, dust and truck traffic.

Staff told the commission the parcel sits in a heavy commercial/industrial area and recommended approval, saying the proposed expansion would add a portable concrete-mixing trailer, storage of rock and sand, and about five additional trucks; staff estimated roughly 15–20 total deliveries a day and said the site has some existing screening and that no on-site concrete manufacturing would occur. The staff report cited Jasper County Zoning Ordinance provisions governing expansion of nonconforming uses and noted the commission may attach conditions.

The applicant’s representative, who identified himself as Ted, said the operation is a mobile, trailer-mounted mixing plant already used elsewhere and described it as self-contained and movable; he said the dust collectors installed on the trailer capture “about 90%” of dust and that the five trucks would generally run during daytime hours. A written public comment read into the record by staff — signed Joshua Siegler, owner of Palmetto Towing — said he was “100% opposed,” warning that heavy trucks would worsen already poor roads and that “concrete plants run 24 hours a day,” causing dust and noise. Corina Curiel, a longtime resident whose family bought a home on Shinger Avenue in 1976, said residents were not told about past changes and said the neighborhood already experiences heavy truck traffic.

Commissioners questioned the applicant and staff about hours, daily trip counts, dust-control equipment and whether the county-maintained portion of Shinger Avenue would be damaged by additional truck traffic. Staff said the mixing trailer would not be washed on site, that it is not full-scale manufacturing, and that the additional traffic should be “minimal” if the operation stays at the scale described; staff also said no SCDOT traffic count exists for the road segment. Several commissioners said they were concerned about allowing an expansion where residences remain nearby and that the county’s long-term zoning goal is to remove nonconforming uses.

Doctor Buckle moved to reject staff’s recommendation and deny the expansion; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Ferguson and carried on a voice vote. The commission did not specify a detailed roll-call tally in the record; the formal outcome recorded was denial of the requested expansion.

The commission may attach conditions to future permissions for nonconforming uses following the zoning ordinance’s standards, but on July 14 it exercised its discretion to refuse this expansion request. The applicant may pursue other administrative or legal options provided under county rules.

The commission moved on to several new-business items after the vote.