Residents Concerned After Tulsa County Commissioners Rezone Land For New Limestone Quarry

Tulsa County Commissioners have approved the rezoning of a piece of land near 56th Street North and Highway 169 to be used for mining and commercial purposes.

Those who live in the area say they are concerned about the effects another quarry could have. The section of land just east of Highway 169 and north of 56th St. sits in an area already surrounded by Limestone quarries and they say another would be too close for comfort.

The neighborhood just south of 66th Street North is less than two miles from existing quarries, but now Bird Creek to the south may be the only barrier between these new homes and a new quarry.

The zoning change allows for mining and other commercial operations on land that has been agricultural for decades.

Marsheila Prior's parents live in the neighborhood to the north, and she's concerned that a quarry could be built so close.

"This will actually be a football field and a half away from my parents' home," Prior said.

She says a quarry would bring noise and potential health concerns closer to people's homes.

"You've got rock crushing going on, the constant pounding, you've got backing in and out with the beep beep beep, the dust, which is very harmful," Prior said.

GreenHill Properties owns the land, and they're working with Greenhill Materials, who already operate a quarry along 46th Street North. Adjacent land owner and developer David Charney helped GreenHill with the application and says they respect homeowners' concerns.

"We made every effort in our application to keep mining lands only to the south and to the west of Bird Creek and we pulled it in if you will as far away as practical from the residential development," Charney said.

Commissioners say even though mining and residential development is a tough balance, a new quarry would would tap into a valuable resource for the county.

Since the construction of a new quarry would depend on the demand for limestone, the timeline of when it would actually be built is unclear.