Collierville's Board of Mayor and Aldermen has approved a conditional-use permit allowing Standard Construction to relocate its hot-mix asphalt operations to a 35-acre site in the southeastern part of town, clearing a major hurdle for a project that has stirred months of resident opposition over air quality, noise and truck traffic.
The approved site sits southeast of Progress Road and Keough Road, according to the citizenportal.ai coverage of the planning process. If built, the facility would occupy the easternmost portion of Collierville, directly across the street from Collierville Public Works, as reported by Action News 5. A Collierville town-news item put the parcel at 35.154 acres, while other accounts have rounded the figure to 35 acres — a discrepancy that has not been resolved in available town records.
Standard Construction currently runs its Collierville operations out of an existing site on Frank Road, where the company conducts gravel mining and aggregate washing, according to the Daily Memphian. The company says it plans to close that Frank Road facility once the Progress Road relocation is complete, and it does not intend to bring either gravel mining or aggregate washing to the new site.
A Consultant's Case for Less Noise and Pollution
John McCarty, owner of McCarty Granberry Engineering and a consultant guiding Standard Construction through Collierville's review process, told the Daily Memphian that dropping gravel mining and aggregate washing from the new site's operations should help limit pollution and noise compared to the company's current Frank Road footprint. That assessment has not stopped neighbors from raising alarms about what remains: a hot-mix asphalt plant itself.
Town leaders who discussed the proposal weighed concerns about traffic, air quality, and ambient noise and odor, per Action News 5's reporting. Residents in Collierville and in neighboring Piperton have said they are worried about air pollution, noise pollution and other potential impacts tied to the plant, the station reported. Public commenters at planning sessions also raised health, truck-traffic and property-value concerns, according to citizenportal.ai's account of the public outcry.
What State and Federal Guidance Says About Asphalt Plants
State guidance from Tennessee's environmental agency identifies fugitive dust, blue smoke, open burning and emissions during asphalt production as common air-compliance issues tied to the industry, according to materials published by tn.gov. Separately, an EPA environmental assessment report notes that hot-mix asphalt plants typically include storage silos, truck load-out operations, liquid asphalt storage tanks, hot-oil heaters and yard emissions, with additional emissions generated by vehicle traffic moving through the site.
The Collierville Planning Commission had earlier recommended approval of the conditional-use permit for the hot-mix plant on Progress Road, but only subject to conditions including Shelby County air-quality permitting and additional review of driveway access and traffic, per citizenportal.ai. Before Standard Construction can move forward, the company must still obtain a development agreement and final site-plan approval from the town, the Daily Memphian reported. Planning staff had earlier told commissioners that the company's application to relocate the asphalt facility to Progress Road would return to future agendas for more detailed review, according to a separate citizenportal.ai report on a planning staff briefing.
A Company With Deep Roots and a Broader Footprint
Standard Construction describes itself as a hot-mix asphalt paving contractor and supplier serving the greater Memphis metropolitan area, according to the company's own website. The business says it was established in 1957 and currently operates four hot-mix plants and eight gravel pits across Southwest Tennessee and North Mississippi.
Opposition to asphalt plant siting is not unique to Collierville. In Mississippi, a developer moved a proposed Lafayette County asphalt plant after neighbors turned out in large numbers at public meetings to oppose rezoning the site from agricultural to heavy industrial use, Mississippi Today reported. Whether Collierville's approved plant ultimately proceeds as planned will depend on the development agreement, site-plan approval and air-quality permitting steps still ahead — details that town and county records have not yet made public.
