RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — After hours of discussion on Friday, a judge has reached a decision in the controversial debate over a dynamite blasting near a Richmond neighborhood.
The evidentiary hearing began at 9 a.m. and almost seven hours later, the judge made a decision: the homeowners are not in imminent danger and the developer can begin the blasting at any point.
Last week, residents of Richmond’s Westover Hills neighborhood learned about a dynamite blasting set to happen right in their community.
The blasting will be carried out by Riverside Southcliff LLC, which became the defendant in this case.
Residents, represented by attorney Hayden Fisher, filed an emergency injunction last Friday to stop the project.
“The remedy we were seeking is an extraordinary remedy, because we were asking to stop something before it starts,” Fisher said.
Witnesses from both sides took the stand on Friday. A judge said she was impressed with the representation from both parties, but ultimately sided with the developers,
The developers called on expert witnesses who insisted Riverside Southcliff LLC has followed all protocol and do not foresee any damage to the residents’ homes. Meanwhile, expert witnesses representing the plaintiffs highlighted that the construction site is located near a fault line.
Witnesses for the plaintiffs also questioned other aspects of the blasting plan, including the blasting company’s use of an app to make safety calls.
The blasting can now happen at any moment, but Fisher and residents say the fight is not over yet.
“If they’re going to go over there and blast…we’ll see what happens,” Fisher said. “But in terms of the law case, the law case goes on.”
The residents still plan on suing for property damage from the developers’ previous jackhammering. This previous damage is part of why residents are so worried about what harm 24 caps of dynamite could do.
“One of the homeowners has already moved into temporary housing, she’s moving tomorrow in a temporary housing, because her house is that unsafe,” Fisher said.
Residents are now disappointed and scared as they want to see what will happen next.
“So if they do blast and there is palpable damage that we can also come back and see another one,” Fisher said. “We hope that they’re right, we’re wrong, frankly, but we’re not confident that’s the case.”
The developers did not wish to weigh in on the court’s decision at this time.
