Plans for a proposed zone change near the intersection of Highway 127 and Highway 26 near Dusty, Washington, are being questioned. Locals say it will result in unsafe driving conditions for residents and WSU students returning to school.

The applicant, McCoy Land Company LLC, proposed changing the 66 acres of agricultural land to “limited heavy industrial use.”

That change would result in roughly 150 grain trucks moving through the area per day from July to September and about 100 later in the season, said Mischelle Fulgham, an attorney representing the residents in the area.

Residents fear the increased influx of large grain trucks will slow traffic and create unsafe driving conditions, Fulgham said.

She said there were also concerns over environmental impacts, which the company said is a non-issue. Whitman County already issued a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance; however, residents opposed to the project have requested an environmental and traffic analysis.

A public hearing on the zoning will be held today at 7 p.m. on the first floor of the Public Service Building in Colfax.

Editor’s note: This article was revised Wednesday, September 5 at 1:07 p.m. to correct  the floor of the building where the zoning meeting will be held.