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The document that governs quarry operations at the Mission Gorge Quarry is its Conditional Use permit (CUP).
The CUP addresses issues such as blasting, dust control, noise, air quality, reclamation, hours of operation, and other aspects of the facility. To provide ongoing oversight of operations, the CUP for the quarry requires reviews of all operations and permit conditions either annually or every five years. However, after the 1983 amendment of the CUP, only two (2) reviews were conducted for the next 39 years. The last review was in 1997-- over a quarter of a century ago. During those many years without the oversight of a review, community concerns continued to grow. Community members eventually organized, engaged the public, worked with the Navajo Community Planning Group, and pressed City staff to resume the review process. Those efforts ultimately led to the initiation of the current review in 2022, the first CUP review in approximately 25 years. As the complexities of updating the long-neglected CUP emerged, and because Superior Ready Mix requested that improvement measures from the class action settlement be incorporated into the CUP, the City Attorney determined that the simple review would be turned into a review for an amended CUP with modified conditions. Over the next several years, information was gathered from the quarry operator, regulatory agencies, City departments, community organizations, and residents. The NCPG Quarry Subcommittee conducted a detailed review of quarry operations and developed recommendations for changes to permit conditions. In January 2026, the Navajo Community Planning Group unanimously approved and forwarded its recommendations to the City. However, Vulcan Materials, which acquired the facility in December 2024, has stated that it does not believe a CUP amendment is necessary. As of June 2026, the company has not submitted the materials requested by City staff to continue the amendment process. Soon, in all likelihood, this opportunity for change through an amended CUP will have disappeared. As of June 2026, City staff have indicated that any upcoming review will be informational in nature. Whether the process ultimately results in amendments to the CUP, changes to permit conditions, or other actions remains uncertain. The current review exists because community members insisted that the review process required by the CUP be carried out and because residents continued to participate in that process for many years. Comments and questions about the CUP review: • Send to the City: The project manager is Travis Cleveland, [email protected] • Send to the Navajo Planning Group: [email protected] View the current CUP. Click here |
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