Lane County Commissioners Tuesday voted 3-2 to oppose the construction of a quarry outside Oakridge. The project has been under consideration for five years, and this vote, while final, may not be the nail in its coffin.
Both Commissioners Farr and Bozievich argued to keep the record open on the quarry just a little bit longer to give the applicants more time to respond to concerns over the quarry’s impact on big game in the area. But, Commissioner Heather Buch, whose district includes Oakridge, said the applicants had ample time to provide new information since the previous discussion of the quarry proposal on August 3rd.
“At this point I believe both the applicant and the people of the community deserve to be able to settle this,” Buch said. “That said, there’s always a possibility, whatever we decide to do, for an appeal. And so this may not be the end of this, whatever we do today.”
Ed King, founder of King Estate Winery, and investors wanted the board to rezone TV Butte east of Oakridge from forestland to rock mining. Residents of Oakridge and Westfir opposed the idea expressing concerns about the impact on air and water quality, recreation, and wildlife.
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