Board takes up asphalt plant controversy
SANDPOINT - A controversial proposal to rezone a property in Sagle to pave the way for a permanent asphalt plant operation heads to Bonner County commissioners on Wednesday.
The hearing on the rezone and comprehensive plan amendment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Bonner County Administration Building.
The Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the rezone and comp plan change during a hearing last month despite significant opposition from nearby landowners.
If approved, the rezone from rural to industrial would bring permanence to a temporary asphalt batch plant operating at Frank Linscott's gravel pit on the west side of U.S. Highway 95 north of Gun Club Road.
It would allow the plant's operator, Interstate Concrete & Asphalt, to shift its asphalt production from its current location in Sandpoint to Sagle. The relocation would reduce truck traffic in Sandpoint and, to a lesser degree, Sagle, according to Interstate.
Interstate said the permanent plant would be quieter and emit fewer fumes than the temporary plant currently in operation.
Neighboring landowners contend a permanent plant will drag down property values and that the rezone is too drastic.
Meadow Lane resident Rich Faletto said you could canvass a group of any size with the question, "Would you buy a home next to a permanent asphalt plant?"
"I bet you 100 percent would say, 'no.' What that means is a degradation of property values," said Faletto.
Faletto and plant opponents also argue that a rural-to-industrial rezone would set an unsavory precedent in Bonner County.
Interstate is seeking expanded hours of operation that will allow the plant to run from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
It also seeks the option of overnight hours (7 p.m. to 5 a.m.) if it's under contract with Idaho Transportation Department, which conducts nighttime paving operations.
The Bonner County Planning Department is recommending operating hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.