Cemex Inc., a cement plant, has operated in Lyons since the 1960s. In April the plant was issued a notice from Boulder County that the plant would need to close due to a report that stated the plant had increased its operations. Cemex announced Friday that it will appeal the closure order.
Cemex is located within an agricultural zoning district that does not permit the operation of a cement plant according to Boulder County’s land-use code. However, since the plant existed in the location before the code went into effect, it is grandfathered into compliance.
In 2022, the plant was asked by CDOT to conduct a traffic study due to reports of increased truck traffic. The study revealed that the plant’s traffic had doubled what was outlined in its operational plan, according to Dale Case, Boulder County’s community planning and permitting director.
Cemex stated that closing its plant would have “statewide implications” and “should be reversed” in a statement to BizWest.
One of the arguments the cement company made was that it would become more expensive to build houses during a housing crisis.
The materials from the Lyons plant are ““literally the foundation for the tens of thousands of single- and multi-family homes that Colorado so desperately needs,” the company said to BizWest. “When the cost of building materials goes up, all Coloradans are hurt, to say nothing of the loss of 100 good-paying blue-collar jobs.”
“Cemex is disappointed by the department’s assertion that a continuation in historical truck traffic should result in a loss of Cemex’s long-standing and unrefuted right to continue operation of its Lyons cement plant,” the company said in a statement to BizWest on Friday. “The department’s determination is not only factually and legally incorrect but threatens the livelihoods of Cemex’s local workforce and their families and would set a concerning precedent for any business operating as a legal, non-conforming use.”
The appeal will be reviewed by the Boulder County planning and permitting director to review the additional information provided by Cemex. If the director does not find an error in the county’s determination, Cemex will have the option to make and appeal to the Boulder County Commissioners.
