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Citrus county community fighting plans for asphalt plant
FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer reports.
CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. - Neighbors in a Citrus County community are fighting a proposal that could bring an asphalt plant to the edge of their neighborhood.
The company Anderson-Columbia Co., Inc. has submitted an application to Citrus County Commission requesting permission to rezone about 22 acres of land in Crystal River from commercial to industrial. County leaders are expected to review the request during a public hearing scheduled for April 16.
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Residents who live nearby said the property sits close to homes, with only a treeline separating some houses from the proposed site. Neighbors said hundreds of homes are located within about a mile of the property.
What we know:
According to county documents, the rezoning request is one of several approvals needed before the asphalt plant could move forward. Residents said the project could significantly change the character of the rural community.
"It's going to ruin the character of the area. Obviously, decrease property values, because nobody wants to live right next to an asphalt plant," said Crystal River resident Alan Ivory.
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Neighbors have raised several concerns about the potential project. Those include noise from industrial equipment, increased traffic from asphalt trucks and odors from plant operations.
A petition circulating online now has almost 3,000 signatures and is urging county commissioners to deny the rezoning request. Some residents have also placed protest signs in their yards opposing the project.
The backstory:
The rezoning request filed with Citrus County seeks to change the land designation from commercial to industrial, which would allow construction of the asphalt facility. Community members said the proposed site sits within close proximity to residential areas and farmland.
Ivory, who helped organize opposition in the community, said residents moved to the area for its quiet rural lifestyle.
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"The best thing about living out here is just the peace and quiet, not having dump trucks and the sound of industrial equipment going back and forth at the asphalt plant," he said.
What they're saying:
Nick Ager, who owns Growing Back to Eden Farm and Ministry in Crystal River, said he has spent years building his organic farming business.
"The last two years I've been dumping money, blood, sweat and tears into building this organic farm," Ager said.
The proposed asphalt plant would be located about a mile from his farm.
"Who knows what kind of smoke, soot, water pollution, whatever, coming this close to my organic farm is tragic," he said.
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Ager believes industrial development could go elsewhere.
"There's plenty of other industrial property out there already," he said, adding if the plant is ultimately approved, it could threaten the future of his farm. "I will start over somewhere else, so it will force me to shut down."
The other side:
FOX 13 reached out to Anderson-Columbia asphalt but, so far, has not heard back. County commissioners have not publicly commented on the project.
What's next:
The Citrus County Commission is scheduled to review the rezoning application during a public hearing next month. Commissioners would need to approve the change before the project could move forward to additional steps in the development process.
The Source: Information in this story came from Citrus County rezoning application documents and interviews with local residents.