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What’s Going On!

Welcome to our complex confusing world of noise and land use laws. This website has information regarding  Eckman Creek Quarry and the Lincoln County Planning Department. Please visit the entire website. New information added frequently.

Our goal is to see our neighborhood quarries operate and prosper, with the legally required conditional use  permits. These permits include many conditions.  These conditions ensure  neighborhoods  enjoy a cleaner, safer, better quality of life.  Among them, regulated days and hours of operation,  pre-dynamiting blast notices sent to those who request them,  required  OSHA  blasting rules followed, environmental safeguards and waterway protections. The property  owners state they  have  “No Rules”. Present operators, ARI,  a multi state operation, headquartered in Springfield OR.  claim  they ” will work when they want” *

To achieve that  goal,  Lincoln County Planning would need to enforce present land use laws. Next,  convince ARI to begin the process of getting  a conditional use permit.  The Dept. under  director Onno  Husing has refused to require that.  He allows them to operate without any Lincoln County permissions.   That means Eckman Creek Quarry is  presently operating in violation of state and county land use laws. We do not want them shut down despite lacking official permits.

*This false mindset is based on a quarter century myth of the “grandfather clause” and lack of Lincoln County Planning Department to understand it’s role, responsibility and function.

PLEASE CONTACT LCPD Director  Onno Husing and ask why he is allowing Eckman Creek Quarry to operate without required permits.

Please contact Lincoln  County Commissioners.  Ask them why they allow Director Husing to selectively  not enforce land use laws.

Thank you.

ORIGINAL COMPLAINT:

Complaint Filed:   Feb. 29, 2016  Quarry operates outside of State and County, Days and Hours guidelines.  Operator wrongly believes his “Grandfather Clause” operating permits, allow 24/7 operations  that  include expansion areas obtained after permits were issued.  Only  the original 18 acres are included  in the  grandfathered  exemption.  Additional USFS leased land and other lands, are NOT exempt from State and County  regulated days, hours and safety guidelines.  Operations occur  in the dark with heavy equipment  operating only with head lights, on steep slopes.  Sunday  operations  occur  off the original  exempt  18 acres. Recent violation dates  Sunday Jan.24  and following week working in the dark.

A conditional use permit is a zoning exception which allows the property owner use of his land in a way not otherwise permitted within the particular zoning district.

http://www.co.lincoln.or.us/sites/default/files/fileattachments/planning_amp_development/page/679/conditional_use_app.pdf

 

Code Compliance:   An essential responsibility of the Department of Planning and Development is ensuring compliance with land use and building codes in unincorporated areas of Lincoln County through code enforcement. In Lincoln County, code enforcement is complaint driven.