Parents want action after a concrete plant started operating near two west Houston schools, raising health concerns and permitting questions.
HOUSTON — In west Houston, parents are raising concerns about a concrete batch plant just hundreds of feet from a preschool and an elementary school. Some tell KHOU 11 they believe the dust from the site could make children sick.
The plant, located at 1111 W. Loop N Freeway near I-10, sits within clear view of the AWTY Early Learning Campus and LIPP Babble Campus, a preschool and daycare. It is also next door to the Memorial Hermann Houston Rockets Training Facility.
State records indicate that the site has been used for temporary concrete projects since 2015. In 2019, Williams Brothers Construction secured a standard permit for the location but listed only HISD’s Sinclair Elementary School, more than two miles away, in its application. AWTY and LIPP were not mentioned.
In 2024, Webber LLC received a temporary permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to operate at the site, according to TCEQ officials.
Records obtained by parents and shared with KHOU 11 show the site map Webber submitted included parts of the nearby schools, but did not name the campuses.
Parents said they received no notice about the permit or the project, and now want the plant shut down.
“I have an asthmatic grandson who goes here,” said one woman who did not want to be identified. “We noticed he had red eyes and headaches. At first, I thought it was seasonal allergies, but now, I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
Laleah Afshar, an oncology nurse with a child at LIPP, said she understands the risks posed by silica dust. She’s since transferred her son to the school’s Upper Kirby campus.
“I was so worried when I heard about this,” Afshar said. “Silica dust is a known carcinogen; it can change DNA, and it may not show up until later in life.”
Another parent, Missy Downey, said she also worries about long-term health impacts.
“He could be breathing something that causes lung cancer, and 15, 20, 30 years from now,” Downey said.
Texas law limits temporary batch plants to no more than 180 consecutive days at a site or the duration of a single project. These plants can be located as close as 100 feet from the nearest property line. Long-term facilities must stand at least 440 yards, about a quarter-mile, from homes, schools and churches.
On Tuesday, TxDOT confirmed the plant supports a project to elevate I-10, which could take until 2028. That timeline has raised questions among parents about whether the “temporary” classification serves as a way to avoid stricter distance rules for long-term plants.
TCEQ officials confirm they have received nearly 30 complaints about the site since July 2025. The Houston Health Department tells KHOU 11 that its officials issued a citation in May regarding dust that “escaped” from the site.
On Tuesday, parents from both schools shared their concerns with the Houston City Council.
Speaking to KHOU 11, State Sen. Molly Cook, D-Houston, said she was “shocked” to see how close the plant is to the schools and criticized what she described as a lack of transparency in the permitting process.
“The request from our office, which comes directly from the parents: Stop operating until we can figure out what’s going on and make sure students are safe,” Cook said.
Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones also denounced the decision to allow the plant at that location.
“It is unconscionable that a concrete batch plant has been permitted directly next to Awty International Early Learning Campus and LIPP Schools,” Briones said in a statement.
In a statement Tuesday, AWTY officials said air sampling on campus “confirmed that silica dust and other contaminants were nearly non-detectable in all samples taken on our campus – including in and around the ELC.”
Webber said in its own statement that the company “operates the facility in compliance with all applicable regulations.”
Parents tell KHOU 11 they plan to protest near the plant at 5 p.m. Wednesday.