Members of the Springwater Plantation Homeowners Association (HOA) have announced their opposition to a request by Marietta-based Baldwin Paving Co. to construct an asphalt plant on the Vulcan Madras Quarry property on Ga. Highway 154 in northeast Coweta. The issue will go before the Coweta County Board of Zoning Appeals Sept. 1.

The Baldwin Madras Plant project has already been through the DRI (Development of Regional Impact) process and was approved by Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and by Chattahoochee Flint RDC, now known as Three Rivers Regional Commission. Baldwin is seeking a height variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals as part of the conditional use permit.

“We plan to oppose this application before the Board of Zoning Appeals and also before the Coweta County Commission,” said Springwater Plantation HOA President Brian O’Donnell. “It is clear that traffic factors, as well as possible environmental issues from this plant will negatively affect residents in this area of Coweta County, and we hope we can help our county commissioners understand those negative results.”

Commenting further on the permit request, O’Donnell said Baldwin has applied for a conditional use permit from Coweta County to construct a 15,000-foot asphalt batching plant. The plant would occupy a footprint off Elzie Johnston Road on property owned by Vulcan Materials Company and would be in addition to three similar structures on the property. They have also applied for a variance to allow them to construct 64-foot silos to accompany the plant. Current county ordinance restricts the height of such structures to 35 feet, O’Donnell said.

“The situation at the Vulcan Quarry continues to concern citizens in this area of Coweta County,” O’Donnell said. “If this plant is constructed, it will require a dramatic increase in heavy truck traffic each week on Highway 29 and Highway 154, in addition to Exits 51 and 56 on I–85. The increased traffic and danger from loose construction materials posed to school children and commuters is extremely disconcerting.”

A June 8 letter from Vulcan Land & Credit Manager Martin Eastin to Baldwin President John Harrison confirmed that Vulcan had entered into a license agreement with Baldwin to use a portion of the Vulcan property to construct and operate an asphalt plant.

Other information on the DRI application noted that the project would have an estimated value of $500,000 at build-out and would generate approximately $5,660 in property taxes and $250,000-500,000 in sales taxes.

The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting will held Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Asa Powell Expo Center located at 197 Temple Avenue in Newnan. The proposal will also go before county commissioners at a later date.

O’Donnell said anyone interested in becoming involved in the campaign or obtaining more information can email the HOA at cowetacitizens@gmail.com

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