Concrete manufacturing facility at Fort Worth's southside grain silos denied by city officials
In a recent decision, the City Council of Fort Worth unanimously denied a conditional use permit to Main Street Terminal to operate a concrete batch plant at the city's abandoned southside grain silos.
The proposed plant, located in Fort Worth's Medical District, has been a subject of contention among residents, neighbourhood associations, and health professionals. According to Razaq Badamosi, a pulmonologist and JPS Health Network vice president and chief quality officer, the plant could potentially stress filtration systems at neighbouring hospitals, leading to increased burden where failure is not an option.
Badamosi also expressed concerns about the lack of substantial evidence regarding dust control technologies, stating they cannot be trusted. Dust produced by a concrete batch plant is known to contain harmful chemicals such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. Exposure to these substances can cause serious health problems, including increased respiratory symptoms, asthma, decreased lung function, and premature death in people with heart or lung disease.
The decision comes after over 50 letters of residents expressing opposition were sent to the zoning commission, with more sent to council members. Angela Blochowicz, president of the Jennings-May-St. Louis Neighborhood Association, described the permit application as misleading, "offering only the illusion of protection without enforceable safeguards."
Main Street Terminal has been working with the Fort Worth Police Department to address crime within the grain silos, and their employees support the batch plant, stating it could contribute to Fort Worth's local economic development. Leroy Castillo, an employee of Main Street Terminal, believes the permit would allow for continued growth within the company.
B.J. Johnson, from J Imperium LLC, described the proposed concrete batch plant as an "environmentally friendly" project. However, requests from the public included implementing dust collection and control equipment, filtration and emissions reporting, operating in an enclosed facility, and meeting requirements set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Nicole Lopez, the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report, has been covering this story. Main Street Terminal has met with neighbourhood associations, residents, and Fort Worth officials within the past month, asking for feedback to accommodate requests from the public.
The name of the health professional who opposed the construction of a concrete mixing plant on the site of the decommissioned Südtown grain silos in Fort Worth on September 16, 20XX, is not publicly available. The article was first published on Fort Worth Report and is republished under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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