Rural residents resist plans for concrete plant
Proposals for a batch facility in Simonton are met with hardened backlash over potential air pollution and truck traffic
SIMONTON — The company pursuing permission from state environmental regulators to build a concrete batch plant in Simonton is now “reviewing various options” for the site after facing immense backlash from the rural community.
Impassioned residents late last month filled rows in a school auditorium to tell representatives from R Construction Co. why they didn’t want the facility in their city on the Brazos River, far west of Houston.
Concrete batch plants are where concrete trucks are filled and sent to construction sites. The materials for concrete are stored on the ground and in silos and poured into the spinning truck drums. Site operators and state environmental officials say it is safe for people to live near the facilities.
Environmental advocates, politicians and residents, though, have vehemently opposed these plants when they’re proposed in residential neighborhoods. They are concerned about air pollution from the materials stored there even with rules in place. They know that environmental regulators don’t consider truck traffic or the noise or light pollution the sites create, or what’s next door to them.
Without zoning protection, public pressure is often the best tactic residents have for fighting proposed batch plants in their neighborhoods. One company owner pursuing a permit in 2020 to build a plant in Aldine gave up in the middle of a community meeting after hearing two hours of resident complaints.
In this case, R Construction hasn’t yet pulled its permit for the site in Simonton, which was still pending Wednesday before the the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. But Chief Operations Officer Brody Maedgen said the company is open to other uses for the property.
“We are still pursuing our air quality permit for the concrete batch plant, however we are concurrently considering other business opportunities as they are presented,” Maedgen wrote in a message to the Houston Chronicle.
An online real estate listing shows the 93-acre property where the plant is being proposed is offered for $4.2 million. The post describes hogs, small game and deer on the open land, which is scattered with trees and brush. “This area is undergoing fast growth everywhere you look,” the listing states.
The possibility of a sale brought residents a reason for hope, with some caution. The company could still build a batch plant elsewhere in Simonton, since concrete will be in high demand as development occurs in years to come.
Residents will keep their eyes open for the next yard sign that could be posted to give residents notice of a concrete batch plant proposal, said local organizer Kristi Smith, who stumbled on the sign notifying residents about R Construction’s request by accident.
“We’ve just got to watch the road to see where they go next,” Smith said.