Commissioners pause request to add concrete-mixing trailer at 498 Shinger Avenue after resident concerns

Planning commissioners on June 11 delayed action on a request to expand a legal nonconforming use at 498 Shinger Avenue after residents and commissioners raised questions about truck traffic, dust and the condition of local roads.

Staff told the commission that applicant Andrew Lloyd requested permission to add a 16-foot portable concrete-mixing trailer, concrete trucks and outdoor storage of rock and sand on a 3.95-acre parcel currently used for roll-off truck parking and storage. The staff report cited Jasper County Zoning Ordinance Article 9, Section 3, Subsection 7 as the review authority and recommended approval pending plan-commission review and any conditions. Staff said public notice letters were mailed May 29 and the property was posted June 1, 2026.

Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on the factual basis for several findings in the staff report. Dr. Buckler and others asked how staff estimated "approximately five additional trucks" and whether an approval could be limited to that number. Staff replied the number came from the applicant's narrative and that the commission may impose parcel-specific conditions; staff and commissioners noted that a traffic-impact study would be required if truck trips exceed the county threshold for formal review (about 75 trips per day) and that site-plan review would address stormwater and dust-control details.

Neighbors objected during the public-comment period. A representative who declined to give a full name described living at 52 Sher Avenue and said the area is a "dust field" with truck traffic "all day, all night," and that previous cleanup and enforcement actions had not resolved long-running problems. Written opposition read into the record included a letter from 370 Shinger LLC (signed Teddy Aosta, identified in the record as the owner of Costa Concrete) asking whether the request was for equipment storage or a mobile batching operation and requesting postponement until more detail was provided. Joshua Seagler of Palmetto Towing also submitted written opposition citing road damage and dust concerns.

The applicant and property representative told the commission the requested change would not create a permanent batch plant and that the portable trailer includes an OSHA-certified dust-collection system; they said aggregate would be loaded into the trailer, trucks would be capped at a small initial fleet ("five trucks" on-site) and concrete would be hauled off-site for processing and recycling. Staff stressed those operational details would be examined in a site-plan review if the commission approves the expansion.

Because several operational questions — including daily truck-trip estimates, routes, hours of operation and whether to cap the number of on-site vehicles — could be answered only by the business operator or their agent, a commissioner moved to table the item until the operator is present. The motion carried on a voice vote and staff agreed to gather additional information from the Department of Transportation and county road-maintenance records before the item returns.

Next steps: staff will contact DOT for road-maintenance data and request that the business operator or an agent attend the next hearing to answer operational questions; if commissioners later approve the expansion they may impose parcel-specific conditions (for example, limits on truck counts, hours of operation, screening, and requirements for dust-control and stormwater plans) that will be enforced through site-plan review and code enforcement.