The Winston-Salem City Council on Dec. 5 unanimously approved stronger zoning laws after reviewing the Jan. 31, 2022, fire that destroyed the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant (GM Feb. 4, p. 1).
The new zoning rules impose new site restrictions requiring facilities that manufacture pesticides, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemicals; explosives and pryotechnics; and batteries, to be limited to tracts of at least 25 acres with 400-foot buffers from neighboring properties.
While there has been no word from Winston Weaver as to whether it planned to rebuild at the eight-acre site, according to the Winston-Salem Journal, the new zoning rules would appear to remove that option.
In addition, the new rules require a special use permit be approved by the City Council after public hearings, and the company would have to submit a hazardous materials management plan.
The fire threatened a massive ammonium nitrate-based explosion and led to a three-day evacuation that was called by city officials for 6,000 people living within a mile of the plant. The incident drew a $5,600 fine against the company from the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Division (GM Aug. 5, p. 35).
The agency cited Winston Weaver for keeping ammonium nitrate in buildings with leaky roofs, allowing for water contamination, and storing the chemical in wooden bins that did not prevent contamination from adjacent chemicals.
Efforts to contact Winston Weaver or its parent, Meherrin Fertilizer Inc., for comment have been unsuccessful.