Why Location Matters
No Quarry on Homestead is not opposed to limestone quarrying as an industry.
The right question is not whether limestone can be extracted — it is where extraction can happen with the least harm to communities and ecosystems.
🏗️ What Makes a Site Lower-Impact?
A responsible site evaluation would consider the following criteria:
| Criterion | The Little River Valley Site | Lower-Impact Alternative Would Have |
|---|---|---|
| Residential proximity | Borders established neighborhoods; 0.5–1 mi from schools and hospitals | Rural or agricultural buffer; >3 miles from residential, schools, hospitals |
| Wetland overlap | Within/adjacent to Little River floodplain and NWI-mapped wetlands | Upland site; no mapped wetlands within operation buffer |
| Watershed sensitivity | Little River → downstream urban communities | Isolated drainage; no sole-source aquifer or urban watershed at risk |
| Geological risk | Subsurface geology not yet independently assessed | Non-karst bedrock; low sinkhole risk; contained groundwater |
| Traffic routing | Routes heavy trucks through residential streets and near hospital access roads | Direct access to US-30, I-69, US-24, or US-33 without residential streets |
| Limestone availability | Present — hence the proposal | Must still overlie viable limestone deposit |
Meeting all six criteria would represent a meaningfully lower-impact choice than the current proposed site.
📍 Preliminary Areas Identified for Further Research Work in Progress
Indiana is one of the nation’s largest producers of limestone aggregate. Significant limestone deposits exist across much of northern and central Indiana, including areas with far fewer residential and environmental conflicts than the Little River Valley.
The areas listed below are not recommendations. We are not suggesting that any of these communities should host a quarry. The residents of Huntertown, Woodburn, Harlan, or any other area have exactly the same right to oppose industrial siting in their community that we have. We would stand with them.
What is listed here are preliminary, surface-level observations made quickly from publicly available land-use and geological data — not a siting study, not an engineering analysis, and not a position of this campaign. Any legitimate alternative-site analysis would require:
- Professional geological and hydrological review
- Full environmental impact assessment
- Meaningful community input from the people who actually live there
This section is a work in progress. We are sharing it to make the point that alternatives exist and should be studied — not to tell anyone else where a quarry should go.
The following Allen County corridors appear — based on a quick review of publicly available land use and geological data — to potentially warrant further research. Nothing here is a conclusion.
🟦 Northwest Allen County — Huntertown to Laotto Corridor (preliminary research only)
Why it may merit further research:
- Higher ground than SW Allen County, with glacial till and known pockets of limestone and dolomite
- Existing sand and gravel operations demonstrate aggregate industry precedent in the area
- Substantially lower residential density than Aboite Township
- Direct access to SR‑3 and I‑69 without routing trucks through neighborhoods or near hospital corridors
Why it compares favorably to Homestead Road:
No river-valley aquifer system comparable to the Little River. No dense residential corridor in the immediate vicinity.
Note: Cedar Creek and its tributaries do create wetland areas in northern Allen County. A formal NWI overlay and floodplain review would be required before any siting conclusion.
🟩 East Allen County — Woodburn to Harlan, Milan Township (preliminary research only)
Why it may merit further research:
- Large contiguous farmland parcels with very low residential density
- Historically used for sand and gravel extraction; aggregate industry precedent exists
- Rail access in portions of the corridor
- Substantially different hydrological character than the Little River watershed
Why it compares favorably to Homestead Road:
No floodplain hydrology feeding a shallow urban aquifer. No wetlands corridor with downstream ecological sensitivity comparable to the Little River Valley.
Note: The Maumee River watershed does run through this region. Full hydrological and wetlands analysis would be required as part of any siting evaluation.
🟫 Southern Allen County — Pleasant Township, Lafayette Center Road Corridor (tentative — preliminary research only)
Why it may warrant further research:
- Portions of the corridor are already adjacent to heavy-industry zones
- Good truck access via I‑469 and Lafayette Center Road
- Some known limestone-bearing formations in southern Allen County
Limitations: Residential growth along this corridor has increased in recent years, and the limestone geology case is less established here than in northern corridors. This area would require stronger geological confirmation before being considered a viable candidate.
A responsible alternatives analysis would require, at minimum:
- USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) review for confirmed limestone deposits
- Indiana Geological & Water Survey formation mapping
- USFWS National Wetlands Inventory overlay for candidate areas
- Allen County and adjacent county parcel and zoning data
- Population density and residential proximity analysis
We are asking that this analysis be conducted — transparently, with public input — before any rezoning decision is made.
🧭 What We’re Asking For
We are asking Allen County and the developer to conduct a transparent alternatives analysis as part of the rezoning process — a standard practice in environmental impact review that asks: Is this the best possible location, or just the most convenient one for the applicant?
The community deserves an answer to that question before an 80–100 year commitment is made to this land.
🔗 Related Pages
- The Threat — What is proposed and where
- Science & Data — Research on environmental and health impacts
- Maps — Spatial data on the proposed site
- Take Action — How to make your voice heard