WOODBURY – The long-awaited Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) decision on the Swenson Granite Company’s request to expand a non-conforming use at its Woodbury Granite Quarry was announced last Wednesday, June 17. Act 250 approval is still required
from Swenson Granite Company Act 250 application
Swenson’s requested expansion includes the addition of a crusher for roughly 45 days each year and doubling the number of daily round-trips by trucks.
With its approval, the ZBA added conditions and reduced the allowed number of truck round-trips from the 50 requested in Swenson’s Act 250 application to 32, up from the current limit of 22.
The board’s decision noted its function was to determine that “. . . no greater detrimental effect on the community will result.”
The ZBA identified significant issues be the effects of increased traffic, including; road wear and tear, dust, safety for non-quarry vehicles and for the school; environmental effects, including; loss of natural beauty, pollution and excessive noise; then unforeseen, long-term impacts on the town associated with approving a permit change for 60-plus years.
With its approval for eight years, the ZBA imposed conditions on how and when quarry trucks may use town roads, relocation of the emergency communication service tower located in the quarry and monitoring of sound levels.
After the eight-year term “Swenson will need to return to the Woodbury Zoning Board of Adjustment for ongoing approval,” wrote the board in its decision. .
The number of truckloads per day is to be no more than 32 truckloads regardless of whether they carry gravel or granite blocks. Gravel trucks may only use the original Swenson Quarry Road entrance closer to town, not the new entrance farther from town and during winter months all haul trucks (including flatbed trucks) must use that same entrance.
New conditions are imposed that require monitoring the sound from the new crusher operation for a minimum of five days when the crusher is running during its first year and after any new crusher goes into operation. The results of monitoring are to be submitted to the Woodbury Town Clerk no more than 60 days after completion of the first day of monitoring and similarly after each additional day of monitoring.
To ensure there are no more detrimental effects on the environment than with the current operation, the ZBA wrote, “The expansion and proposed crushing will not impact environmental natural resources, and Swenson will implement the stormwater improvements as shown in the application materials.
Swenson is required to work with the town to relocate the emergency communications services tower to another portion of the property prior to it being removed in the future as quarry operations may require…
Finally, Swenson will need to apply again to the ZBA if any modifications to a long-term phased plan submitted with the application is necessary in the future.
Swenson filed a motion with the Act 250 District Commission indicating they and the Town of Woodbury have agreed to a 60 day delay while they negotiate fees for the quarry’s impact on town roads.
That agreement came following a request by the town to submit details of current and future impacts they contend will require larger payments than Swenson had been willing to agree to in earlier negotiations.
