Healthcare Supporters — No Quarry on Homestead

Our organization has identified significant and material concerns regarding the Proposed Project, including but not limited to:

• Land Use Incompatibility: The introduction of heavy industrial operations in immediate proximity to residential neighborhoods, schools, healthcare facilities, and commercial corridors is fundamentally inconsistent with established and planned land use patterns;

• Traffic and Infrastructure Impacts: Substantial increases in heavy truck traffic — potentially operating continuously — pose safety risks and may materially impair access for employees, customers, and emergency services, particularly in the US 24 / I-69 corridor;

• Economic Harm and Investment Risk: The presence of a large-scale quarry and industrial plant operations is likely to deter customer traffic, reduce surrounding property values, and undermine existing and planned private investment in the area;

• Cumulative and Long-Term Effects: The scale of the Proposed Project, combined with its phased development and duration, creates compounding impacts that will fundamentally alter the character of southwest Allen County for generations; and

• Inconsistency with Comprehensive Planning: Approval of the Proposed Project would represent a clear and substantial departure from the ALL IN Allen County Comprehensive Plan, thereby undermining the predictability and integrity of long-term planning efforts relied upon by the business community.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Lutheran Hospital and the Chief Administrative Officer of The Orthopedic Hospital, we are writing to formally declare our profound public health concerns regarding the proposed Homestead Quarry and industrial complex. As a trusted member of this community providing exceptional care for the past 121 years we are of the opinion that the technical, operational, and environmental risks introduced by a 710-acre open-pit mine situated just 2.8 miles from our Lutheran Hospital main campus and The Orthopedic Hospital present threats to public health and the stability of tertiary healthcare delivery in Northeast Indiana. Because our mission allows zero margin for error when public health and life-saving operations are compromised, Lutheran Hospital and The Orthopedic Hospital firmly object to any project advancement or zoning approvals until independent surveys can prove zero impact to local health and medical infrastructure.

IU Health has raised serious concerns about the proposed quarry’s potential risks to its $421 million hospital campus under construction nearby — including potential impacts to the water table affecting structural stability, vibrations from blasting that could interfere with sensitive medical equipment and patient care, and increased heavy traffic impacting emergency access.