Concrete crusher proposal rejected after Detroit denies permit request

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The City of Detroit has denied a permit to build a new concrete crusher, a win for neighbors that campaigned hard against the proposal.

The Buildings Safety Engineering and Environmental Department confirmed that it had denied a concrete crushing facility on the city's west side. The project would have constructed the building on a 4.7-acre plot of vacant land on Lawton Street, which is near the Core City neighborhood. 

The project, which was overseen by the Bloomfield Hills company called Can-Am International Trade, received widespread criticism from residents who attended meetings and sent in hundreds of signatures showing who was opposed to the facility.

The facility, which was sold as a "very high-impact manufacturing or processing facility" would have been used to crush, grade, and screen rock, stone, clay, and concrete. 

Residents worried the operations would send poisonous fumes and toxic runoff into the environment. It would also have prompted a spike in truck traffic, which are correlated with public health issues due to sound and pollution problems. 

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Neighbors also argued the proposal was an example of environmental racism since it seeks to build a major manufacturing facility next doors to residents. Opponents from the Core City neighborhood argued it was incompatible to the city's master plan, which strives to only light industrial activities in residential areas.