NAMPA, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Nampa City Hall was packed from the chambers to the lobby with approximately 300 people in attendance on Tuesday night. Most came for a common goal — to stop a concrete plant from being built in their city.
“Tonight’s going to be a lengthy meeting,” Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Ron Van Auker said, looking at the crowd.
The meeting lasted six hours, with commissioners hearing from over 50 community members speaking in opposition to the proposed plant.
In a narrow 5-4 vote, the commission rejected construction company Sunroc’s permit for a plant to be built at 39 N Picard Lane off of Victory Road, across the street from nearby residential areas.
While the permit has been denied by Planning and Zoning, Sunroc can request to appeal the decision within 15 days, according to Nampa code. Appeals would be heard at the following Nampa City Council meeting where the council could decide to issue the permit.
This isn’t the first time Sunroc has pursued a permit for this project. Sunroc first received a conditional use permit in February 2023, later expiring in November as Sunroc awaited its building permit.
There was some confusion about whether the conditional use permit actually expired. Bill King, a Sunroc representative who spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting, explained that “out of an abundance of caution” the company reapplied in December.
Sunroc currently has concrete facilities outside of Boise, Kuna and Caldwell. The company has a history of violations with the Environmental Protection Agency.
In Idaho, Sunroc has paid a total of $427,850 to the state and federal government for violations. The company has also spent $116,250 to comply with EPA’s orders.
EPA settlements are ongoing at two of Sunroc’s Caldwell facilities.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Audience members fanned themselves with flyers in the packed room. Most stood for the majority of the meeting, as no seats remained empty.
Resident Patti Quinn spoke at the podium about community input she has received over the past month. She had gone door to door collecting signatures from neighbors. In total, she received 1,000 signatures of people opposed to the plant’s construction.
While Sunroc previously had its conditional use permit approved, community members said they didn’t know about it. If they had, they would have communicated their concerns to the commission sooner.
Quinn said the sign announcing the proposal, placed on the property as required by state law, was not visible from the main road.
“We did not know a year ago,” she said.
Planning and Zoning Director Rodney Ashby confirmed that the sign was not easily visible to the public and that the city has worked to improve this. A sign now sits at the side of Victory Road.
With the Nampa Municipal Airport located north of the proposed plant, several local pilots echoed the sentiment that the plant would hinder the ability to land in emergencies.
Former Canyon County Commissioner Craig Hanson lives nearby and described an incident where he witnessed a plane hit a power line. The pilot survived after crashing in an empty field.
Residents referred to a fatal accident in Burley, with a plant located next to the airport.
In 2022, a plane crashed into the Gem State Processing plant by the Burley Municipal Airport, resulting in the pilot’s death. As reported by Boise State Public Radio, the pilot failed to land on her first attempt, then crashed the plane into the plant’s smokestack.
The Warhawk Air Museum expressed concerns about its annual Warbird Roundup, an annual gathering of historic warplanes from across the country, according to the museum website. With a tall structure like the plant nearby, the event would likely not happen.
King, the Sunroc representative, said Sunroc has been aware of an air easement setting limitations on nearby structures and has worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to comply.
Some residents were concerned about the plant creating noise. King said the plant will run on demand, operating 24/7. City code limits excess noise from 11 p.m.–7 a.m.
“Don’t force the batch plant on us for someone else’s convenience,” Nampa resident Vincent Brewster said.
King said Sunroc’s current plants are at max capacity. With the area’s growth, the company needs an added location.
In the long public comment session, residents expressed concerns about health risks, traffic, property values and more.
COMMISSION DELIBERATES
To deny the permit, the commissioners had to find that the proposal did not meet all criteria listed under the city code, as listed below:
- That the proposed use is supported by the Nampa Comprehensive Plan.
- That the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the property and project will not adversely impact the intended character and appearance of the general vicinity.
- That the proposed use will be served adequately by essential public facilities and services.
- That the proposed use will not be detrimental to the economic welfare of the community.
- That the proposed use will not involve activities or processes, materials, equipment and conditions of operation that will be detrimental to any persons, property or general welfare by reason of excessive traffic, noise, smoke, fumes, glare or odors.
“This is not a decision that’s based on popularity, that’s not what you can legally do,” Ashby, the Planning and Zoning director, said to the commission. “Based on a certain number of people opposed to this, that’s not how you can vote to this side to approve or deny it. However, you use the information they’ve shared … that is what you use to back up your decision about each of these criteria.”
Commissioner Jeff Kirkman agreed with residents’ sentiments that they don’t want to see Nampa become an “industrial city.”
“I just don’t see how it fits into the whole plan for this particular area,” Kirkman said about residential homes being nearby.
Commissioner Tom Turner said that many other cities have concrete plants in their neighborhoods and he didn’t see it as a major health concern. Still, he felt that the plant’s location didn’t make sense with residents nearby.
While the commission had passed Sunroc’s prior conditional use permit in 2023, Commissioner Peggy Sellman said more information has been revealed since.
“If we had the education back then that we have now, we would have made a different decision,” Sellman said.
Following the vote denying the permit, Sunroc issued a statement.
“Our Sunroc team hoped for a different outcome tonight. The commission previously found the proposed use satisfies the permit criteria. Nothing has changed with our plan,” the statement read. “Our hope has always been to help build the community of Nampa. Every home, road, and building needs concrete.”
Whether this entails pursuing an appeal, Community Relations Director Nate McDonald wrote that Sunroc is “considering every available option.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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