SACS SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MTG
Proposed Quarry Discussion
No Quarry on Homestead meeting Door 18
Prayer Over the Valley
MARK YOUR CALENDARS This is an invitation for the community to gather on Sunday evening, May 4th at 5:00 to pray over the valley\; to ask God's favor to protect "our valley" from demolition and destruction. (Also, feel free to include your children/grandchildren and to pray silently or out loud in whatever expression of faith you desire.) STAY TUNED FOR LOCATION. If we can't assemble at the Lafayette Meadows School parking lot, Kurt and I will host it at our driveway at 7717 Aboite Road. I'll let everyone know as soon as I find out. Image credit: Sunrise Over the Valley (c) 2025 by Emily Boller\; All Rights Reserved
This page tracks every key event — past and upcoming — in the fight over the proposed quarry, asphalt plant, and concrete batching plant in the Little River Valley. Bookmark it and check back often.
📅 Upcoming Events
Community Meeting — Little River Valley Quarry Opposition
A community meeting for residents of Southwest Allen County to organize, share information, and coordinate next steps in opposing the proposed quarry, asphalt plant, and concrete batching plant.
📍 Location: Lafayette Meadows Elementary School
🕖 Time: 7:00 PM
What you can do: Attend, bring a neighbor, and make your voice heard. See the Take Action page →
Developer Application Resubmission Deadline
US Aggregates / Heritage Group must submit a complete and sufficient application to the Allen County Department of Planning Services by this date to be placed on the agenda for May 2026 hearings. Their first filing was rejected as incomplete.
What you can do: Contact Allen County Planning Services and your commissioners to express opposition. See the Take Action page →
Allen County Plan Commission Public Hearing — Quarry Application
If the developer resubmits a complete application by April 7, the quarry rezoning request will be scheduled for a public hearing before the Allen County Plan Commission. The Commission holds monthly hearings, typically on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m.
This is one of the most critical moments for public testimony. Attend in person and sign up to speak.
Date to be confirmed once the developer resubmits. Check the Allen County Agenda Center for official updates.
Allen County Board of Zoning Appeals — Special Use Hearing
The quarry operation requires a special use approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), separate from the rezoning process before the Plan Commission. This is a second critical public hearing opportunity.
Allen County Board of Commissioners — Final Vote
Even if the Plan Commission recommends approval, the Allen County Board of Commissioners holds the final vote on rezoning. Community pressure at every stage affects this decision.
🕐 Past Events
Southwest Allen County Schools Board — Special Meeting
The Southwest Allen County Schools (SACS) board held a special meeting related to the proposed quarry development. Lafayette Meadows Elementary is the closest SACS school to the proposed site. Note: The board's official position is not yet confirmed — check back for updates as information becomes available.
Allen County Plan Commission — Monthly Business Meeting
Regular monthly business meeting. Quarry application not yet on the agenda due to the incomplete filing.
Allen County Plan Commission — Monthly Public Hearing
Regular monthly public hearing. Quarry application was not on the agenda; the developer's filing had been deemed incomplete by county planning staff.
Application Filed — and Rejected as Incomplete
US Aggregates / Heritage Group formally submitted rezoning and special use applications to Allen County for the proposed quarry, asphalt plant, and concrete plant complex. The Allen County Department of Planning Services reviewed the submission and deemed it incomplete, requiring the developer to refile. No hearings were scheduled.
The application covers roughly 1,600 acres bordered by Homestead Road, I-69, and the new IU Health hospital campus. Approximately 824 acres are proposed for active quarry and industrial use; the remainder is designated as buffer area.
Community Organizes — 1,500+ Petition Signatures in 3 Days
Once the proposal became public, Southwest Allen County residents mobilized rapidly. A petition opposing the development gathered more than 1,500 signatures in under three days. Public meetings drew overflow crowds. No Quarry on Homestead formed as a community-led coalition and began documenting the scientific, environmental, and economic case against the project.
Proposal Announced — US Aggregates / Heritage Group
US Aggregates, a subsidiary of The Heritage Group (a family-owned Indiana conglomerate), announced plans for a major mixed-use development anchored by an open-pit limestone quarry, asphalt plant, and concrete batching plant in the Little River Valley of Southwest Allen County.
Inside Indiana Business reported on the proposal, describing it as one of the most significant industrial land-use proposals in the region's recent history.
📚 Historical Context: How We Got Here
Hanson Aggregates Quarry Expansion — Fought and Stopped
A few miles from the current proposed site, Hanson Aggregates (now Heidelberg Materials) proposed expanding their existing limestone quarry operations in a way that threatened the Eagle Marsh wetlands and the broader Little River watershed.
The Little River Wetlands Project (LRWP) — a nonprofit land trust founded in 1990 — led the fight. Working with the Conservation Law Center and community donors, LRWP successfully blocked the expansion through strategic land acquisition and organized opposition. They purchased key land parcels to protect wetland buffers from quarry encroachment.
The result: Eagle Marsh is now an 831-acre protected wetland — the largest inland urban wetland restoration in Allen County — supporting over 225 bird species and several state and federally listed species. The LRWP continues its stewardship mission today.
👉 Read the full LRWP story → | See our analysis of this precedent →
Little River Wetlands Project Founded
Concerned residents founded the LRWP to restore and protect wetlands in the Little River watershed — recognizing that Indiana had already lost an estimated 85% of its original wetlands. Their work at Eagle Marsh would become a model for urban wetland conservation and a direct precedent for today's fight.
🔗 Stay Informed
- Allen County Agenda Center: allencounty.in.gov/agendacenter — official hearing schedules
- Allen County Plan Commission: allencounty.in.gov/365/Allen-County-Plan-Commission
- Take Action: Sign the petition, contact officials, attend hearings
This timeline is maintained by No Quarry on Homestead. We cite only verified public records and published news sources. If you have documentation of an event we should add, contact us at noquarryonhomestead@gmail.com.