July 2023, Newsletter
Lehigh Looks to Shrink, then Close Permanente Quarry
At the County’s June Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee (HLUET) meeting, County Planning staff shared Heidelberg Materials’ newly proposed Reclamation Plan Amendment (RPA), which addresses the closure and restoration of the land at Permanente Quarry in the hills outside Cupertino. The site is owned by Heidelberg Materials and operated by Lehigh Southwest Cement Company.
County Supervisor Joe Simitian, Vice Chair of the Committee, said he felt this latest proposal was a significant improvement on Lehigh’s 2019 application, with the updated 2023 RPA better aligned with his three stated goals:
- Close the cement plant;
- Stop mining in the quarry; and,
- Begin the restoration and reclamation of the property.
“The review of this newly proposed Reclamation Plan Amendment will undoubtedly be a lengthy and thorough process,” said Simitian. “But what’s important here is that this new RPA reduces the quarry footprint, puts an end to mining the quarry, and no longer ‘chops the top’ off the ridgeline.”