Homeowners near the proposed quarry site have been discussing the future of their neighborhood and they aren’t alone. As plans are made and unmade, other nearby citizens of Sugar Creek and Independence have been joining the conversation by following the public Facebook group STOP the Atherton Quarry to keep up with all the new developments that could impact their friends and families.

Residents are relieved, for the time being, after receiving an update from Sugar Creek city officials at 10:00 AM on October 6th that Audubon Materials decided to withdraw their Rezoning Application to change the current zoning in a rural residential area from M2, which does allow limited commercial use, to M2P, which would greenlight Eagle Materials, another alias of Audubon, to operate a widely contested open pit quarry. Central Plains Cement, yet another alias for the stakeholders, were also seeking the approval of a Special Use Permit Application which would have provided more “flexibility” for their day-to-day operations. When stakeholders were asked to clarify what specific flexible options they were seeking at a Public Hearing on September 16th, 2021, citizens were provided vague explanations that lacked substance.

So what’s next for neighbors who live where stakeholders seek to build the now locally infamous “Atherton Quarry”?

• There will still be an Alderman Meeting open to the public on October 11th at 6:00 PM at the Mike Onka Community Hall on Putnam Street in Sugar Creek. Residents of Sugar Creek and Independence neighbors who stand to bear the brunt of the greatest risk are encouraged to be in attendance to make sure city officials understand that the plans surrounding the proposed quarry are still being closely monitored. Friends and family from other nearby neighborhoods are invited to show their support by standing in solidarity with the community by wearing YELLOW to the meeting.
  
• While the current application for rezoning and special use of the land has been withdrawn by stakeholders, neighbors are remaining diligent in their efforts to prevent the quarry from ever being approved in the future. Citizens have been informed that Audubon representatives have expressed that they intend to “rethink the plan” as they navigate how to approach the project development in a manner that will be more palatable to the immediately affected adjacent land owners. Currently, locals have rejected all of the proposed traffic routes being sought by stakeholders to transport 40,000 truckloads of mined material from where the quarry would be located. These trucks would be passing private property 80,000 times a year when factoring for round trips to haul material to and from the site.
  
• Citizens are also still waiting for records to be made public of the original rezoning from Agricultural to M2 for the land in question. Locals remain confused about the supposed zoning change that occurred several years ago despite the fact that none of the current property owners who owned land during that time recall receiving proper notification of this change. As it stands, Jackson County records still show that the land where the quarry would be built is documented as being Agricultural. This means that the current owners of the approximate 800 acres being sought for rezoning would be set back a great deal as an Agricultural Zone does not permit the land to be used for underground mining, let alone an open blast mining operation.

Citizens of Sugar Creek still want solid answers. But when will they get them?

• During a previous Zoning Meeting open to the public on August 26th, 2021 regarding the application to rezone from M2 to M2P, which the legality of is now in question, citizens asked roughly 75 questions on the record looking for answers about the environmental and residential impacts of a dangerous quarry operation existing so close to a dense population. Only sparse and indirect answers have been provided. Citizens are still wondering when they will have those questions from that evening fully addressed.
• An extension of the Zoning and Permit Committee Meeting occurred on September 16th which is when outspoken members of the community asked for clarification for recourse offered to citizens should they believe elected officials tasked with voting for the approval or denial of the current rezoning application were biased due to conflicts of interest. Locals waited for several moments while the committee gathered their thoughts. The question had to be restated multiple times before the committee responded. Those in attendance were told that should a voting member be suspected of having a personal investment in a decision in favor of the quarry operation, they should bring their concerns to the City Attorney. Which begs a follow up question…Does the City Attorney represent the will of the people, or the whims of elected officials?
• Locals also want to be informed as to why the recent application for a permit to rezone from M2 to M2P was accepted by the city in the first place. There is no subsequent documentation designating that the parcels owned by Central Plains Cement were ever rezoned from Agricultural to M2. 1965 was the last time zoning documentation was submitted for the record. Citizens feel the proper paperwork should have been pulled from records and reviewed prior to any of these proceedings taking place. The lack of transparency during the current rezoning proceedings has set the tone for an ominous future regarding the fate of residential property owners in the area.

A battle has been won by neighbors, but the fight is far from over. For now, neighbors are finding respite in the due diligence of research being done by neighbors and friends. You can join the conversation or contribute your own findings by sharing your opinions and facts about the quarry proposal with our local Alderman.

Sugar Creek Elected Officials:

Mike Larson – Mayor
Email: mlarson@sugar-creek.mo.us
Phone: 816-252-4400

JC “Chuck” Mikulich – Alderman First Ward
Email: cmikulich@sugar-creek.mo.us
Phone: 816-252-4400, ext 1135

Christopher Steffen – Alderman First Ward
Email: csteffen@sugar-creek.mo.us
Phone: 816-252-4400, ext 1136

Robert Ray – Alderman Second Ward
Email: rray@sugar-creek.mo.us
Phone: 816-252-4400, ext 1133

Joi Hazelrigg – Alderman Second Ward
Email: jhazelrigg@sugar-creek.mo.us
Phone: 816-252-4400, ext 1134

You can share your opinion about the quarry proposal with our local Alderman. You can also join the conversation by following the public Facebook group STOP the Atherton Quarry

Sugar Creek has a long standing history of being a tight-knit community that looks well after its own. Citizens are proud to represent an independent township that has held a part of the Missouri River for over 100 years. Now its residents are asking for help encouraging local elected representative to be good neighbors to surrounding communities.

Why did this Neighborhood Coalition form?

• Neighbors living in an established rural residential area were recently notified in December of 2020 that the area had been annexed by the city of Sugar Creek. Most citizens who’s properties were annexed were given little to no notice that they would no longer be considered residents of Unincorporated Jackson County. Sugar Creek officials are on record during this time frame claiming they had no preconceived notions about the reasons for the land’s annexation.
• In August of 2021, a handful of neighbors were notified by mail that the recently annexed area had a submission for a rezoning application provided to the city to turn a large parcel of land, estimated at around 800 acres, from M2 (which would permit light industrial operations) to M2P which would allow stakeholders for a private interest to pursue a Special Use Permit (SUP) to operate an open blast quarry less than 200 feet from existing residential properties along Courtney Atherton Road and less than 2 miles from the dense Independence neighborhood of Salem East. The investors of this proposed quarry are on record having said that this “done deal” has been in progress for over a year.
• By mid August of 2021 a group of residents had come together to stand up for their neighbors. A small collective of 30 concerned citizens has multiplied into a strong allegiance of over 450 Sugar Creek residents who have currently signed their name to the petition to stop the now locally infamous “Atherton Quarry” among over 1,000 other petition supporters, vastly from Independence, Missouri.

Establishing good faith through full transparency:

• Citizens want to account for past economic and environmental disasters that not only harmed locals within living memory, but also caused widespread damage to surrounding communities. Elders from Sugar Creek have been open and forthright with their desire to not repeat the mistakes of the past, specifically referring to the financial and medical hardships caused by the incident concerning the BP Oil Refinery.

Amoco and its predecessor, Standard Oil Co., operated the 430-acre refinery from 1904 to 1982, when it was closed. (Source: BP to Settle Sugar Creek Refinery Lawsuits). The refinery was closed after environmental pollution violations were brought forward. Aging citizens of Sugar Creek have reported some residents are still receiving critically needed medical treatments for health ailments caused 40 years ago by the pollutants spread by the refinery before it closed in 1982. Citizens can learn more about the report provided by the EPA concerning the surface water contamination and sediment data, which was conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, and the Exposure Investigations and Consultation Branch.

• Citizens are urged to call the elected representatives of Sugar Creek to disclose specifics about the projected tax revenue the town would collect from this proposed operation which have still not been made public.
• Residents are encouraged to email and call the Sugar Creek Board of Alderman to secure Community Benefits should they approve this deal.
• Locals have not been ensured that the invested interests will be held to better business practices by the city and should not hesitate to express their questions and concerns in regard to establishing a list of concession demands should this highly contested quarry operation move forward within city limits.

The easiest way to show your support is signing the petition online. Taking the next step would be to share the petition with friends and family far and wide. Our goal is to capture as many local signatures as possible but it greatly helps our exposure when the wider world sees our mission.

Be a good neighbor by standing with neighbors. Ask Sugar Creek officials to rise to the occasion to break the cycle of self interest and preference for private interests and uphold their oaths to represent the will of the people.