Residents appeal Lafayette County vote blocking asphalt plant rezoning

An asphalt plant planned for the Max D. Hipp Industrial Park has become more than a zoning dispute for Lafayette County neighbors watching air quality, truck traffic, noise and property values near Oxford, Taylor and County Road 101. Residents who opposed the project filed an appeal on May 14 after the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 on May 4 not to rezone the industrial park parcels from I-1 light industrial to I-2 heavy industrial.

The appeal will be heard by the Lafayette County Circuit Court, keeping Magnolia Materials’ proposal alive in a new legal arena even as opponents argue the county has not fully reckoned with what a hot-mix asphalt plant could mean for nearby homes, commuters and businesses. County zoning language describes heavy industrial uses as those that may generate substantial noise, vibration, odors or other objectionable characteristics, language that sits at the center of the current fight.

The controversy has been building since October 2025, when more than 200 people attended a nearly five-hour Board of Supervisors meeting over a proposal to rezone 40 acres near Taylor for the plant. After that backlash, Magnolia Materials owner J.W. McCurdy withdrew the Taylor-site request on Oct. 28, 2025 and moved the project to the county industrial park, saying the change was made “for the sake of peace.” In December, supervisors approved a lease giving Magnolia Materials a 22-acre parcel in the park for an initial 35-year term, with the property limited to an asphalt plant. The company also agreed to employ at least five full-time workers and pay all ad valorem taxes on the property.

The state permitting process has continued alongside the county dispute. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has scheduled a public hearing for June 10 at the Oxford Conference Center. In its notice, the agency said Magnolia Materials has applied for coverage under the Large Construction Storm Water General Permit and the Hot Mix Asphalt General Permit. The proposed site covers about 22.92 acres, with about 13.71 acres to be disturbed during construction. The plant would have a maximum production capacity of 300 tons per hour and no more than 500,000 tons per year.

MDEQ said the site is in the Berry Branch watershed and would include erosion and sediment controls such as silt fencing, inlet protection, rock filter dams, wattles, a temporary sediment basin and vegetative stabilization. Opponents have raised concerns about runoff, erosion, air emissions, truck traffic, noise and public health. Magnolia Materials has argued that Lafayette County needs more asphalt capacity and that added competition could lower costs for infrastructure and construction. With the rezoning appeal now headed to circuit court, the county’s broader decision over where industrial growth belongs is far from settled.