Rock quarry drops bid for expansion in N. Raleigh

RALEIGH -- A mining company Wednesday dropped its bid to expand a rock quarry in North Raleigh, saying "current political realities" make it unfeasible to keep trying.

Hundreds of neighbors who live around the quarry said more blasting and mining makes little sense in a fast-growing residential area near Umstead State Park.

"I'm thrilled," said neighbor Emily Smith, who has gone door to door to fight the proposal since last fall.

"I thought it would come down to the end. It's great that they have been swayed by the neighborhoods that did not favor this," she said.

The city's planning commission unanimously recommended against the proposal this month, setting up a final decision Tuesday by the City Council.

"I initially hoped there could be some solution that benefited all," Councilman Bonner Gaylord said. "As discussions progressed, it became clear that the detriments to the neighborhood far outweighed the benefits."

Hanson Aggregates Southeast sought to rezone more than 100 acres west of Crabtree Quarry to expand its mining operation.

Hanson offered to give Raleigh land for a key greenway link and to let the city use the current mining pit for flood control, among other concessions.

In a letter to the city Wednesday, attorney Gray Styers said Hanson would no longer pursue a rezoning and "is committed to continuing to be a positive corporate citizen."

Quarry workers use dynamite to break the rock, and residents who live nearby can hear blasts from the 80-year-old mine. Some worried about more intense blasting.

"It's a relief that it seems to be over," said Andrew Meehan, a neighbor who opposed the expansion. "It was certainly something hanging over the neighborhoods."