Midwest Asphalt Corp. has withdrawn its request to extend hours at its Lakeville gravel mining site in the face of protests by neighbors who said the change would worsen their living conditions.
The City Council had held off on the request until the company could resolve differences with residents whose homes are north of the gravel pit, across Lake Marion. Objections focused on noise, dust and harsh lighting from the 60-acre gravel pit.
Since 2011, Midwest has had permission to excavate gravel and conduct other operations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The only limitation is on rock crushing, which can't be done on Saturday.
The company was seeking a change so it could operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The extra hours were to be limited to hauling gravel and sand out of the property and bringing in other material from demolition sites.
In a Dec. 10 e-mail, Midwest President Blair Bury notified the city that the company was withdrawing its application "to do further study of the issues in order to determine appropriate solutions."
"I look forward to being able to resolve the concerns and returning to 'the process' at a later date," Bury added.
Planning Director Daryl Morey said that the company could reapply because it withdrew its application before the council acted on it.
Building permits' value on the rise in Lakeville
Lakeville issued building permits with a total valuation of $136.8 million through the end of November. This compares with $112.8 million for the same period in 2012.
