Save Our Homes and Health in Paulding County

Help us protect our homes, health, livestock, wildlife, livelihood, and peaceful lifestyle in Paulding County.

We are in a battle to preserve the beauty and peace of our Paulding County community. Unfortunately, NW Georgia Land Holdings LLC has filed an application to have 200 plus acres rezoned from Residential (R-2) to Heavy Industrial (I-2). Currently, the whole area is zoned Agricultural / Residential, and the citizens of this area would like to keep it as Agricultural / Residential. Therefore, this GoFundMe page has been setup to help with legal/litigation expenses as well as expenses associated with fighting the rezoning approval process, or any future legal action if the proposed rock quarry is approved. Please read below to learn more about our plight.

We need all citizens of Paulding County to join our efforts to stop the rezoning that will allow another rock quarry in the County. The southwest quadrant of Paulding County which is under Post 2 of the Board of Commissioners is considering an application to allow the rezoning of over 200 acres from residential (R-2) to Heavy Industrial (I-2). The proposed quarry would be on Highway 101 at the Paulding / Carroll County Line. The property is in the middle of agricultural (A-1) and residential (R-2) properties with no industrial zoning of any kind in the area.

If you are familiar with the two existing quarries in Post 2 which are APAC located at 3509 Mulberry Rock Road and Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. located at 112 Quarry Drive, homeowners in the area complain of the blasting which takes place 2 or 3 times per week, dump truck back-up alarms, tailgates slamming, various noise pollution, air pollution, cracked windows, and well water running dry. In addition, those homeowners have mentioned numerous issues with “cracking and crumbling” foundations which they indicate are a direct result of being close to the mining operation. If the application for the proposed Highway 101 Rock Quarry is approved, residents in the vicinity may likewise experience property damage, air pollution, sound pollution, and adverse health effects as well as a significant increase in commercial truck traffic. According to the quarry application, the commercial truck traffic is estimated to start at 218 trucks per day (108 trucks in and 108 trucks out) which will only increase over time. This will be a large increase in traffic on an already overburdened state highway. Homeowners living near the existing quarries have been forced to deal with these issues 24 hours per day when either quarry has a government contract (county, state, federal). Also, the Colonial Pipeline is only 415 feet from the quarry property line. There are outstanding concerns whether the blasting could damage the critical energy pipeline over time, leading to an environmental and/or safety crisis.

The Colonial Pipeline is a vital source of fuel for the eastern part of the United States, stretching over 5,500 miles from Texas to New Jersey. However, with this vital source of fuel comes great responsibility and risk. One of our concerns about the proximity of the proposed mine to the Colonial Pipeline is the potential risk of that blasting poses to Colonial’s infrastructure. Blasting is a common practice used in construction and mining, which involves using explosives to break apart rock or other materials.

Although noise pollution, air pollution, and impacts on the water of our ponds, lakes, streams and wells is without a doubt a byproduct of the blasting at a rock quarry and a major concern, the threat of silica dust to an agricultural community where hay production is critical could lead to the hay no longer being consumable by the livestock and no longer marketable as a source of income. Also note that horses are especially sensitive to the tremors caused by the blasting up to 5 miles away, and horses can sense things humans cannot sense. Quarry officials stated on July 8, 2024, this will be a “21st century quarry and that our fears are unfounded”, however, when we asked how the new quarry would be different to the existing quarries, we did not receive an answer. In fact, quarry officials were asked to explain the “21st century quarry” multiple times. Yet, the quarry officials were never able to explain the difference between a quarry of the 1990s and what they claim to be a 21st century quarry.

Paulding County approved a Comprehensive Land Use Plan which provides residents and those considering moving into the county with an assurance of how the land will be developed in the coming years. The land use plan for the southwestern area of Paulding County shows that it will be agricultural and residential with no industrial of any kind. The County also has this area of the County designated as a Conservation Character Area which means the intention of the County is to maintain natural, rural character and protect and enhance environmentally sensitive areas. The zoning is intended to help make sure land use remains compatible with the current zoning. Some neighbors have recently built homes or purchased existing farms within a half mile or less of the proposed quarry property and part of that investment decision was based on the fact that the county approved and published a land use plan that predicts the types of development would remain agricultural and residential. Now those neighbors that have just started putting down roots fear that the investment will soon be an asset losing value because of the incompatibility of the heavy industrial in the middle of an agricultural and residential area. This means that NW Georgia Land Holdings LLC purchased the property knowing upfront that it was residentially zoned and expected no one would oppose the incompatible rezoning.

Regarding the estimated sales tax of $630,000 per year. A quarry official from the proposed Highway 101 Rock Quarry stated in a meeting on Monday, July 8, 2024, at the proposed quarry site that “two quarries in Paulding County are a monopoly, and three quarries is competition”. Additionally, he said, “with competition comes lower prices”. Since the customer base will stay the same and not increase because of an additional quarry added in Paulding County, it means less sales tax dollars for Paulding County. Thus, the proposed quarry will not bring in any additional sales tax revenue for Paulding County, because it will share in the sales of the two existing rock quarries at a lower price according to the statement made by the proposed Highway 101 Rock Quarry official. Hence, Paulding County will make less in sales tax revenue with the addition of a third rock quarry to Paulding County. This does not sound like a win for the residents of Paulding County. In fact, it sounds like the only person that will win is the individual that owns NW Georgia Land Holdings, LLC and the individuals trying to help NW Georgia Land Holdings, LLC get the rezoning passed for the proposed Highway 101 Rock Quarry.

We would be grateful to have your support in opposing the rezoning of the proposed quarry property from residential to heavy industrial. Here is how you can help:

• Sign the online petition which has a link at the www.stop101rockquarry.com website. Donating to the petition site (Change . org) is not necessary as signing the petition is free.

• Ask your friends, family, colleagues to oppose the proposed quarry.

• Please contact the Board of Commissioners to express your concerns about the rezoning and the Planning and Zoning Committee members. Contact information for each of the commissioners can be found at www.stop101rockquarry.com

• Attend community meetings for updates. Dates for the meetings are at the website. www.stop101rockquarry.com

• Complete the “Drop Us a Line” form at www.stop101rockquarry.com and we will add you to our email list for updates as we have them. Plus, you can request a yard sign in the “I’m interested in” section.

• IMPORTANT – Please make sure you are respectful and professional in ALL communications with the County Commissioners and with anyone else in the County regarding the proposed Highway 101 Rock Quarry. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Our community does not oppose economic progress in Paulding County. We only ask that zoning regulations be followed as they were intended by the County and State and make the development compatible with the land use plan. Ask the Board of Commissioners to seek out high paying, clean industry growth and NOT industry that brings pollution and destruction to this beautiful county.

Three months ago, we had no idea that a rock quarry was even a possibility in the middle of the farms and residences of southwest Paulding. If this is allowed to happen here in our backyard, it could happen in your backyard next.

Thank you for the consideration to support this important cause!