CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) Virginia-based Luck Companies is eyeing a 300-acre site off of Highway 9 in Chester County for a rock quarry.
“This isn’t just a business that we’re proposing to bring to Chester,” said Ben Thompson, who is the Director of Land and Development for Luck Companies, “We want to bring ourselves, we want to bring ideas.”
Luck Stone, which is a part of Luck Companies, produces gravel, sand and crushed stone. The company has several quarries throughout Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, including one in Kershaw.
If approved, Luck Stone’s next project would bring 15 to 25 jobs to Chester County. The initial investment for phase one of the project would be between $17 million and $20 million, with a long-term investment of up to $55 million.
Thompson says they also plan to designate two properties on the site for industrial and economic development, and they will help recruit businesses to the area.
“Those will be businesses that will be recruited in, and not currently in the county,” said Thompson, “We find that when we work with communities to help recruit outside companies, we’re able to continue the growth pattern.”
But despite those benefits, there are concerns.
Dr. Angela Bain, Chester County superintendent, says said she worried about the proximity of the proposed site to schools.
“We were concerned about the dust, and the blasting and the noise,” said Bain.
Earlier this month, Bain took a trip with the Chester County School Board to Richmond, Virginia to see the Luck Company’s facilities in person.
“I purposefully looked for dust on the leaves of the trees,” said Bain, “And we didn’t see anything like that.”
Bain says she already contacted DHEC to show her support for the project.
“At this point, I don’t see any issues with having these folks as our neighbors.”
Ben Thompson says the rock quarry project is still several steps away from becoming official. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is currently reviewing the Luck Company’s application,
and then it’ll need to be approved by Chester County’s Planning Commission, County Council, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.
