They can’t dig it: Planning commissioners deny permit for Lancaster County clay mine

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission has put a stop to a proposed clay mine near Davey.

The board voted unanimously Wednesday to deny a special permit to Ash Grove Cement Company after opponents packed the meeting.

Ash Grove had applied to buy a 112-acre plot at North 27th Street and Agnew Road, where it would mine clay to make cement.

This came to light when a “Zoning Action” sign recently alerted residents in the area.

At Wednesday’s meeting, residents shared many concerns.

Some of them talked about the agricultural value of the land. 

“The rural environment should focus on agriculture,” Leaford Burnett said. “Rural areas should be preserved for agriculture. There is nothing in this mine that is preserving agriculture.” 

Another concern was traffic, as many people use the road it would have been on to get to Raymond Central High School.

“How many trucks of how many tons are going to be driving on that same road, the same two-lane asphalt road?” Susan Olson asked.  

Representatives of the cement company said they were not expecting to affect traffic as much, especially in the morning. They said they were not going to have many vehicles onsite.

But a county engineer said the mine would triple the number of trucks going through that area in its first two years of operation.

County officials said there were too many unanswered questions about the project.

They said the plan was incomplete and rushed.