After more than two hours of public comment, the Allen County Board of Zoning Appealsdenied a rezoning request for a quarry in Southwest Allen County on Tuesday.
Residents in the area have loudly opposed the quarry since the beginning of the process and even Allen County Commissioner Ron Turpin joined them on Tuesday, telling the board it’s not about not wanting a quarry at all.
“It’s this quarry in this location," he said. "I believe as a member of the executive branch in this county, that you should reject this special use application.”
A section of the room donned bright green shirts that encouraged the board to vote yes and said ‘rocks build America’ on the back. But they were outnumbered by those in brown ‘No Quarry on Homestead' shirts.
Amy Pemberton, an Adams County resident who showed up to the meeting donned in one of the green shirts said her previous work in planning and zoning and economic development made her support the project.
"It's a struggle to get new business in and keep growing," she said. "And this would be an opportunity for growth in providing jobs — good paying jobs."
Several people spoke as representation of groups opposing the quarry, including IU Health, the Little River Wetlands Project and Fort Wayne City Council.
Other individual opponents throughout the evening included several doctors and medical professionals in the area, who spoke to the long-term health risks that quarries pose, and the superintendent of Southwest Allen County Schools.
Immediately following the meeting, the Allen County Plan Commission began their meeting, which would have included a petition from US Aggregates to rezone two areas of the quarry property for industrial and commercial use.
US Aggregates withdrew their petition, following the failure of the rezoning request.
