Concrete company seeks to establish positive relationship with neighbors

Capital Concrete Co. is the latest business to set up shop at 2639 Clements Ferry Road adjacent to the Beresford Creek Landing residential community — and the company hopes to establish a good relationship with its neighbors.

Those who have occupied the site, zoned heavy industrial, haven’t necessarily received a warm welcome over the years. At one time, the property housed a paintball facility – which met with criticism from several nearby residents. Two years ago, plans for a Pilot/Flying J Travel Center truck stop were submitted but later withdrawn after community members voiced concerns about quality of life issues.

According to the Capital Concrete website, they provide “quality, ready mix concrete products for all project types.”

The Beresford Creek Landing Homeowners Association had concerns about safety and the potential for increased truck traffic before the concrete batch plant was approved last September by the Berkeley County Planning and Zoning Department and the Engineering/Stormwater Department. But as explained by Berkeley County Public Information Officer Hannah Moldenhauer in an article in The Daniel Island News in January of this year, the site has been zoned for heavy industrial uses since the mid-1990s.

“As such, the property owner is within his/her rights to pursue and receive entitlements through the county’s Planning and Zoning Department,” she stated.

So plans moved forward and recently the plant was approved to begin operations.

But according to the neighborhood’s HOA President BJ Bryan, noise and dust have already become a problem. The HOA also contends that a required buffer along the border of the plant site along Beresford Run, the entrance road to the neighborhood, “is not being enforced,” said Bryan. A previously installed fence extends only partially down the side of the road and stops before the concrete plant. Where there is not a fence, a 100-foot vegetation buffer is required.

“We are disappointed to learn that large scale concrete factory operations have been approved without enforcing buffer requirements that could have improved an unsightly factory adjacent to our community,” wrote the HOA in a statement provided to paper.

“Good fences make good neighbors,” added Bryan. “In this case, the county buffer requirements could easily be met by ensuring a fence is installed. A fence along Beresford Run is unanimously supported by our neighborhood and provides our elected officials with a way to illustrate that they have advocated for our community’s best interest.”

When asked about fencing, Berkeley County Councilman Josh Whitley said he would need to defer to county professionals, but that the property owner is responsible for a buffer.

“Whether that is vegetation or a fence — that comports with the ordinance and site plan,” added Whitley, whose district includes the parcel in question. “If in the particular section a fence is not required, then it is going to require private cooperation between neighbors.”

Whitley also maintains that the county has been listening, and responding when necessary, to residents’ questions and concerns.

“Every time I have been called to call in code enforcement, I do,” he said. “And I ask code enforcement to follow the letter of the law and enforce it.”

According to Capital Concrete co-owner Rusty Shealy, before starting the permitting process and before construction began, he made certain that the landowner they are leasing the property from met with the then head of the neighborhood’s HOA to let them know of the company’s plans. Shealy added that he also had conversations with several elected officials as part of the company’s “due diligence” on compliance matters.

“We did not obtain any variances from either the Berkeley County permitting office, or for any other matters involved in the state permitting process,” noted Shealy. “…There were no special favors given which allowed us to build the concrete plant.”

In addition, Shealy said the company is in “complete compliance” with all requirements.

“Our facility is in compliance with all regulatory requirements and, in fact, we’ve had county officials come inspect the property based upon neighborhood complaints and found no violations and that we were operating within all permits issued.”

With regards to noise coming from the plant, Shealy reports that the company’s hours run from early in the morning until late afternoon. On some occasions, but not every day, the plant will start “very early” in the day to meet customer demands, avoid extreme summer heat, and early morning traffic congestion, he continued. But they are willing to work with the local community for the best outcome.

“Regarding the noise concerns, all heavy equipment, such as the batch plant and the wheel loader, as well as heavy vehicles, such as mixer trucks, are required to have back-up safety alarms,” said Shealy. “As a result of the concerns raised, we will look into how we might be able to muffle the alarms and direct it away from the rear of the property (towards the neighborhood), so long as we can maintain compliance with mandatory safety rules and regulations.”

Shealy also addressed concerns about dust, noting that the entire parcel is hardscaped with solidly compacted stone and or paved.

“My observation is … that the dust at the plant is well under what is being generated merely by adjacent traffic on Clements Ferry Road … There are (also) a lot of residential/neighborhood and commercial construction projects along this corridor, as well as the dirt pit just down the street, and all of those and others are contributing to dust and dirt along Clements Ferry Road.”

One issue that residents and county officials can agree on is keeping heavy industrial traffic off of Beresford Run. The concrete plant sits behind a tractor trailer transport company and other businesses that use the same entrance on Clements Ferry Road to come and go from the site. For years there has been talk of adding a traffic light at the intersection of Beresford Run and Clements Ferry – which has received support from most parties. But neighborhood residents are concerned a “curb cut” may be allowed onto Beresford Run from the concrete plant and truck area to allow access to the light.

“Our community stands firm and unified in rejecting commercial traffic flows from a heavy industrial lot onto Beresford Run, a residential street,” continued the HOA statement.

Whitley said he and county officials support the HOA’s position. They are in favor of the property owner allowing a curb cut onto Beresford Run, he stated, but only as a way to give noncommercial traffic from residential areas on the other side of the property a way to cross over to access the light. Heavy industrial vehicles would continue to use Clements Ferry Road.

“And that’s where we are,” Whitley continued. “We favor restricting industrial traffic (on Beresford Run), but promoting other traffic, to make that red light make sense for the entire corridor.”