Cemex Davenport plant could be turned into a nature reserve?

Sempervirens Fund, a non-profit conservation group, is eyeing up Cemex’s decommissioned Davenport cement plant for possible redevelopment as a gateway to a new nature reserve. The plant and 8500 acres of land still owned by Cemex are situated in a coastal, mountainous area above Santa Cruz.

Cemex is currently working on remediation and a closure plan that has not yet received approval. As part of this plan, the company will have to deal with soil contamination, asbestos issues, and huge deposits of cement kiln dust. No redevelopment could take place until all that has been taken care of.

However, one option that has been reported is that Sempervirens could take on the plant at no cost and continue the cleanup. The nonprofit has already been active in conservation efforts throughout the Santa Cruz mountains and, with the addition of the Cemex land – known as the Cemex Redwoods – has a vision of piecing together a protected expanse of coastal ranges running from Pescadero to Santa Cruz.

Neal Coonerty, Santa Cruz County Board Chairman, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that he is ‘delighted’ there is interest in redeveloping the land. “We definitely want to see a reuse of the property,” he said, “We don’t want to put a fence around it and just watch it rust”.

Adapted from a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel by Katherine Guenioui