Plans for a sand mining operation near Indianapolis Road have been approved by the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals.
The BZA approved requests for development standard variances from Nugent Sand Co. this month to allow the company to move forward with a sand mining operation that includes a dredging pond.
Sand and gravel will be transported on an overhead conveyor belt that will go across County Road 400 North to an existing site the company owns at 5205 Indianapolis Road, said Robert Holt, Nugent Sand Co. director of permitting.
However, motorists in the area will not be affected by the sand mining operation, Holt said.
Nugent Sand Co., which has its headquarters in Louisville, plans to operate Monday through Friday with some hours on Saturday as needed, he said.
“It will have a hood on the conveyor to prevent material from spilling on the road,” he said.
The conveyor belt will provide 21 feet of clearance over the road, according to the city planning department. One of the variances that was granted included waiving a requirement to pave 300 feet of the entrance road to the sand mining site at County Road 450 North.
The firm has indicated it plans to have one person operating the equipment on the site and that no heavy equipment would be accessing the site on a regular basis, according to a staff report by the city planning department.
Holt said the amount of noise generated will be minimal, noting there are no residences nearby.
The properties to the north and west are primarily agriculture with the exception of New Hope Christian Church, according to the city planning department’s staff report. The nearest residence is more than 1,500 feet to the west of the proposed conveyor, while the nearest subdivision is almost 4,000 feet to the east, the staff report said.
Holt did not have a date when the sand mining operation would begin.
BZA member Zack Ellison, who voted in favor to grant the variances, said he didn’t have any immediate concerns about the project.
The conveyor will have an underneath carriage that will allow it to catch anything that comes off, Ellison said. That will prevent material from falling to the ground, he said.
“I think it’s pretty well thought out and designed,” Ellison said of the project.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About Nugent Sand Co. ” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Nugent Sand Co., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, produces construction aggregates for Indiana, Kentucky and throughout the Ohio River Valley, according to its website. It has been in operation since 1896.
More information: Visit nugentsand.com
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