A sign has been posted near the site of a proposed concrete batch plant off Burkett Road (County Road 139) in Flint. Tycon Ready Mix LLC applied to build the plant in Janurary 2020 near the intersection of Hunters Trail and Burkett Road in Flint. The land has now been sold to townhouse developers.

Land at the center of concerns over a concrete batch plant last year coming near Flint neighborhoods is now under new ownership and will soon become a gated townhome community.

In January 2020, homeowners were worried after learning Tycon Ready Mix LLC applied to register a concrete batch plant with an entrance proposed to be 180 feet north from the intersection of Hunters Trail and Burkett Road (County Road 139) in Flint, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Residents were worried about health, environmental impact, traffic and quality of life. The proposed entrance to the plant would have been close to subdivision neighborhood entrances.

Homeowner Debora Burkett started the Facebook group, Flint Concrete Plant Protesters, in January 2020 to have a unified group to gather concerns from others. The group grew to over 700 members within about a month. In February 2020, the Smith County Commissioners Court voted to draft a letter to the TCEQ to voice the concerns of Flint residents.

On Friday afternoon, Glen Development Partners, LLC announced the company purchased over 11 acres from Tycon Ready Mix. Glen Development also shared its plans to develop the land into a private, gated townhome community called The Glen in partnership with Hunt Custom Homes.

The purchase for the land was closed on Thursday. Regarding the new project, Trey Hunt, managing partner of The Glen, said he and others are pleased to bring high-quality townhomes to the Flint community.

“Many people worked together to make this happen, and I am proud to be part of it,” Hunt said.

Local officials like state Rep. Matt Schaefer, state Sen. Bryan Hughes, Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran and Smith County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Warr worked with owners of Tycon Ready Mix in February 2020 and the company later agreed to pause the proposed plant to evaluate solutions.

Brian Barnes of BTNP Properties, which created Tycon Ready Mix, said his company cares about Flint and he’s grateful to reach a “mutually beneficial outcome.”

Garrett Boersma, a partner in Glen Development Partners, said local officials, especially Moran and Schaefer, did a great job and were really helpful in providing advice and coming to a solution. He added the both Tycon and Glen Development worked with homeowner association presidents and area subdivision residents. Current Smith County Precinct 1 Commissioner Neal Franklin also provided advice and guidance in coming to a solution.

“BTNP Properties and our community collaborated to find a solution that worked for everyone,” Boersma said. “A special thanks is also owed to Robert and Debora Burkett and the Denmon family for their patience, determination, and enthusiasm to help make this project possible.”

Boersma added Hunt and his team were instrumental in agreeing to step up and buy the property from Tycon Ready Mix.

“It’s really a positive story where people in the community and Tycon work together for a solution and it was a win-win,” Boersma said.