Oxford developer JW McCurdy withdrew his application to rezone property for a proposed asphalt plant near Taylor, Miss., on Tuesday, Oct. 28, following weeks of community resistance.
McCurdy, owner of MR Construction, announced plans in a press release Tuesday afternoon to relocate the proposed plant — Magnolia Materials — from the original planned site on Mississippi Highway 328 to the Max D. Hipp Lafayette County Industrial Park north of Oxford off County Road 101.
“I’ve lived in this county my whole life, and I plan on living here the rest of my life. Our site on (Highway) 328 is an outstanding industrial node, and that’s not changing, but I’m also happy to change for the sake of peace,” McCurdy said in the press release.
Last week, opponents of the site on Highway 328 delivered two hours of public comment before the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors, resulting in a motion to table the vote until the next meeting on Nov. 3. The vote will no longer take place.
The original proposed location was across the highway from Falkner Farms — a multigenerational, regenerative cattle and poultry operation. The Falkners were most concerned about the precedent the rezoning could set for heavy industrial operations disturbing rural agricultural land.
Falkner Farms published a press release on Wednesday thanking community members and government officials for their support over the past month.
“From the beginning, our request has always been for a location where all parties can operate in a way that benefits our community,” the press release said. “Growth in Lafayette County is inevitable, but so is our commitment to responsible land stewardship. We’ll continue to advocate for agriculture and work toward a future that balances progress and preservation.
Lafayette County Administrator Kate Victor said the board of supervisors will release a statement on the county’s social media pages late Wednesday or early Thursday.
All five members of the board of supervisors did not respond to The Daily Mississippian’s request for comment on McCurdy’s change in plans by the time of publication, including Board President Brent Larson, Tim Gordon, John Morgan, Scott Allen and Greg Bynum.
Gordon, the District 3 Supervisor, said via phone that he had not heard of the relocation plans before The Daily Mississippian’s request for comment.
Shawn Edwards, mayor of Taylor, Miss., said he was pleased with the decision to relocate the proposed plant site, calling the change a “win-win for all.”
“I think the supervisors did a good job, (and) Mr. McCurdy, to come up with a plan that is basically in the best interest of everybody,” Edwards said via phone.
While the original proposed site on Highway 328 is about three miles from the Taylor town center, increased traffic and proximity to residents closest to the plant were major causes of concern among members of the community.
“The impact that we were concerned about was heavy truck traffic from the asphalt trucks … plus many of our residents would be … within a mile and a half of the projected site,” Edwards said. “I’ve talked to those folks, and they’re very happy and very pleased with the decision.”
At its new proposed location, Magnolia Materials will produce up to 2,000 tons of asphalt per day, potentially lowering the cost of asphalt locally. According to McCurdy’s press release, Lafayette County currently pays 17% more than the state average for asphalt.
The press release also indicated that the original proposed plant site on Highway 328 “will be freed for other commercial growth.” In an email exchange with The Daily Mississippian, McCurdy called the original planned site a “textbook commercial-industrial district.”
“Our (Highway 328) site still is superior to the industrial park for many purposes. Abutting a forthcoming four-lane, situated between commercial uses, across the street from a commercial use, on a state-owned road and a few thousand feet from the City (of Oxford) sewer plant,” McCurdy said in an email.
McCurdy said he has no knowledge of how the board of supervisors Nov. 3 vote would have gone if he proceeded with his rezoning efforts.
“Contrary to public belief, I don’t know any more than any other county resident as to what might happen,” McCurdy said. “There’s no secret in this process. We build our developments on solid facts and present them for approval. That’s what we did here, and that’s what we’ll do going forward.”
Redesigning plans for a new Magnolia Materials site will be costly, McCurdy said.
“There are a whole handful of new challenges and risks we’ll have to address. But, that’s just something I chose to take on, as I said, for the sake of peace,” McCurdy said.
Moving forward, McCurdy is focused on addressing the need for local development.
“Lafayette County is facing explosive growth, and we need to be working with the County to give it more options, not fewer, to respond to this growth,” McCurdy said. “We’ll all do a heck of a lot better if we work together thinking about all 60,000 residents of this county rather than a limited few. That’s how I’m proceeding.”
