Opposition is growing in Archer as citizens wait for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a concrete batch plant to come back before the Planning and Zoning Board. 

The application was brought before the board at a March 7 meeting, but after more than an hour of presentation, public comment and board discussion, the city attorney received word that property owners adjacent to the plot had not been notified. 

The proposed concrete plant would be located on 24 acres at vacant Maddox Foundry and Machine Shop. The foundry was a factory where metal was cast for 117 years. It is already designated for industrial use, but the concrete batch plant’s operation is not a use by right, so it requires a CUP. 

The site, which has rested for about 10 years and was purchased by Ronald Arnold of R.E. Arnold Construction, is nestled between a mix of commercial, residential and industrial land use on the zoning and land use maps. 

Multiple residents who live in the area surrounding the site attended the March 7 meeting to air concerns about what a concrete batch plant would do to air quality, water supply, traffic and property values. 

Board members also asked some pointed questions, some of which required the developers to confer about what the answer was, including how much water would be used, and how many trucks would be running at what hours. 

After some discussion, Arnold told the board that the city could expect to provide 100 gallons of water per truck, including batch and cleanout, and that the operation would need at least eight trucks to begin with, running mainly in the morning. 

In addressing air quality concerns, Arnold told the board the concrete and its components would remain enclosed and be funneled directly into the trucks. Christopher Gmuer, the engineer of record, said there are several other concrete batch plants around the county, but several citizens pointed out that those have been controversial as well. 

To the northwest of the site is Family Life Church, which has been adjacent to the Maddox foundry since Maddox donated it the land. Pastor Glen Thigpen told commissioners in March that he is “all for” moving forward as a city, and that Arnold and his team have been good to work with. 

Thigpen’s only complaint was that the Florida Department of Transportation was leaving the church out of communications about 170^th Street, which runs through the site, and which the church uses to access its property. 

Nearby residents were less supportive than Thigpen at the meeting and continue to oppose the concrete batch plant. An online petition has gained 66 signatures, but resident Lori Bernardo said she thinks the residents need to be going door-to-door to spread the word. 

Bernardo said if the concrete batch plant goes in, she and others in the area will likely feel the need to move. She said a concrete plant seems like it would be better outside of town, and she would rather see the old Maddox buildings converted to serve as restaurants or coffee shops. 

“I think it’s a horrible idea,” Bernardo said in a phone interview. “We’re supposed to be doing all kinds of green stuff, but this is not going to be a green thing for our community, and I’m very upset about it.” 

One of citizens’ many complaints has been the city’s lack of communication with residents about the process. Backup documents provided to the Planning and Zoning Board refer to communications in September of 2022, but the news traveled by word of mouth ahead of the March meeting. 

A few residents tried to bring the topic up at the city commission’s regular meeting a few days later, on March 11, but the city attorney warned the commission to strictly limit discussion on the topic, as it is in a quasi-judicial stage and citizen comment could turn into ex parte communications. 

The city has not yet set a date to bring the application back before the Planning and Zoning Board.