The Haines Borough Planning Commission granted Southeast Roadbuilders a conditional use permit Feb. 9 to excavate 7,500 cubic yards of rock near the Skyline Subdivision during the next three years, but a homeowner appealed the decision this week.

“I believe eight to 10 trucks per hour, six days a week, plus blasting 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. six days per week, as discussed, is unreasonable in a residential area from a safety, noise, dust and overall quality-of-life perspective,” Lenise Henderson-Fontenot said in an appeal Monday.

Company owner Roger Schnabel told the commission he has been working on his 60-acre parcel above Young Road and Skyline Drive for about four years, intending to develop a residential subdivision there.

“I’ve pretty much done all that I can do with the existing excavators by doing some clearing and some grubbing,” Schnabel said.

Future construction plans include “reconnaissance work” like drilling, blasting and excavation of materials, but Schnabel applied for a conditional use permit primarily to create and move fill for the harbor expansion project.

Schnabel said some of the fill may go to his own development near Front and Main Streets or into storage on Fourth Avenue.

But homeowners who live near the Skyline property voiced their concerns at a public hearing Thursday.

“I have a lot of concerns about this project, my home being right in the middle of the development,” said Henderson-Fontenot. “I support developing the house lots back there. If that was my land, I’d be doing that, too. It’s the resource removal and the number of trucks and blasting that mainly concerns me.”

“We’re not making huge shots on this project…Reconnaissance work is not like a typical quarry operation,” Schnabel said. “The blasting operations are going to be minimal from the standpoint of size. And that means I’ll be able to control them that much more.”

Henderson-Fontenot said she had issues with safety along the proposed truck routes. Walkers and hikers frequent that area near the Mount Ripinsky trailhead, including tourists who are not familiar with the area during cruise ship dockings.

The commission discussed truck routes between Young Road and the harbor, but settled on a condition that Schnabel would work with the police and the borough manager to determine which route would be safest.

The commission didn’t adopt a borough staff recommendation that Schnabel pay road repair costs, saying his company’s trucks are certified and highway legal.

Henderson-Fontenot inquired about the stopping ability of the trucks and whether or not rock debris might spill onto the road. Commissioner Larry Geise asked that Schnabel’s crew do a routine inspection of the truck route to ensure rocks or debris weren’t left in the road.

Property owner Alan Heinrich said he also was concerned about water drainage.

Young Road resident Beverly Wilson said she was uneasy that the project could cause a repeat of a “slump” that damaged homes, utility lines and roads when the mountainside shifted under saturated conditions in 2012.

Schnabel said culverts will be used to properly drain water. The operation is down to solid rock excavation, and the net impact will most likely be “less than it has for the last three years,” Schnabel said.

Engineers recommended $1.6 million in comprehensive drainage improvements for the hillside following the 2012 slump event.

“I think permitting another gravel pit rock extraction site in Haines townsite area is a mistake,” said resident Thom Ely. “I think Roger has a lot of property in the borough, and he can find a better place to extract rock than above a residential subdivision.”

“This is not a development for a quarry site. This is not a development to build a big ole’ pit up there,” Schnabel said.

Interim Borough Manager Brad Ryan based borough recommendations on his analysis of project elements measured against eight criteria cited in code for allowing conditional use, however, the commission did not reference code in making its determination. It focused primarily on the operational recommendations.

The commission discussed what would be appropriate times of day and days in the year for trucks to operate from the site.

Commissioner Rob Miller said if Schnabel were to run trucks six days a week from May thorough September, there would only be about nine truck-loads per day. “It’s not a lot of material,” Miller said. “We’re not talking about a lot here.”

Interim Borough Manager Brad Ryan recommended blasting hours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and hauling between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, excluding federal, state or borough holidays and special events as determined by the tourism department.

Borough planner Holly Smith said the tourism department recommended Schnabel hold off working on the days of large events like the Southeast Alaska State Fair, Beer Fest or the Ripinsky Run.

The commission ultimately decided to allow Schnabel to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, with only the Saturday of Beer Fest prohibited. Schnabel is permitted to work and haul on cruise ship days.

Commissioners Jeremy Stephens, “designer of record” for the Skyline Subdivision, and Brenda Josephson, employee of Southeast Roadbuilders, recused themselves from the vote. Five commissioners voted to approve the conditional use permit with the discussed conditions. Commissioner Donnie Turner who participated in the vote holds a conditional use permit for a rock quarry above a residential neighborhood near Allen Road.

Henderson-Fontenot cited seven reasons for her appeal, filed with the borough Feb. 10, including recommendations from borough staff that the commission didn’t consider. Those included the restricted work hours and an agreement for Schnabel to pay for repairs to Young Road.

Henderson-Fontenot also cited property value depreciation, mitigation, and concern that impacted homeowners were missing a chance to comment due to winter absences.

“The project as discussed will have major negative impacts on the neighborhoods involved and community as a whole,” Fontenot wrote.

The appeal will be on the borough assembly’s Feb. 28 meeting agenda. If the assembly decides to hear the appeal, it will take place on March 14.