Newsletters – Stop Heavy Industry in Our Neighborhoods

Newsletters

November 20, 2025

Hi everyone,

Thank you for following and sharing our updates. This is our 5th community newsletter, and your support keeps this community informed and connected as we continue to stand together for safety, transparency, and accountability.

If someone forwarded this to you and you’d like to receive future updates directly, you can join our mailing list here: https://forms.gle/LP7ZUkqWA8wuK4pWA

Together, we’re making sure every voice in West Lafayette is heard.

A Moment From This Week — What It Says About Us

Many neighbors have been asking:
“Is the lawsuit actually making a difference?”
The answer is yes — it is.

The lawsuit is the one thing preventing the rezoning from being pushed through without real scrutiny. As long as the case is active, nothing is final — the process slows down, questions must be answered, and our community stays at the center of the conversation. That is exactly what neighbors have asked for from the start.

This past Monday afternoon, something meaningful happened.

More than ten neighbors bundled up, walked out into the cold, and spent hours on the street — handing out flyers, answering questions, and talking with strangers about why this fight matters.

No one was paid.
No one was asked.

They showed up because they care deeply about this community.

It was a reminder that behind every post, every update, and every legal filing, there are real people standing in the wind, giving their time and energy to protect the place we all call home.

That is what a community looks like.
That is what makes this effort real.
And that is why your support — in any form — matters.

If You’ve Wondered How to Help, This Is the Moment

Not everyone can knock on doors.
Not everyone can attend meetings.
Not everyone can stand on a street corner handing out flyers.

But everyone can do something — and donating is one meaningful way to stand with your neighbors who are already giving so much.

Whether it’s $10, $20, or $50, it keeps this effort going. It keeps the community strong. And it shows that West Lafayette stands together for safety, transparency, and responsible development.

Donate to support the lawsuit: https://gofund.me/b4fd1c784

December 1 WLCC Meeting: Your Presence Matters

The next West Lafayette City Council meeting is December 1, and this one matters.

For seven months, residents have asked for transparency, real safety plans, and honest communication around the SK hynix project. Instead, we’ve seen delays, missing studies, and small controlled meetings that leave most of the community out of the conversation.

Showing up is one of the most meaningful ways we can remind the City Council that the community is watching — and that we expect answers, not more promises.

This is a quiet, steady, powerful way to say:

We are paying attention.
We care about our neighborhoods.
And we want our elected officials to care too.
Even if you don’t speak, your presence sends a message. A room full of neighbors is impossible to ignore.

WLCC Meeting: Monday, Dec 1
West Lafayette City Hall（222 N. Chauncey Ave, West Lafayette）

Bring a friend, bring a neighbor, or come on your own, every person in that room strengthens the community’s voice.

Standing up doesn’t always require a microphone. Sometimes, it just requires showing up.

Controlled Meetings, Unanswered Questions

SK hynix has announced a new round of “community meetings” — but each one is capped at 20 people.

After six months of asking for real transparency, this is still not the open, public meeting residents have requested again and again.

Small-group sessions make it easier for the company to control the message, give slightly different answers to different people, and avoid being held accountable for inconsistencies. We’ve already seen this pattern: friendly language, reassuring phrases, but very few concrete details.

If you plan to attend one of these sessions, please go in with clarity about what information is still missing and do not settle for “we will,” “we plan to,” or “we are committed to.”

Ask for numbers, documents, timelines, and written plans.

These are the key questions our community still needs real, verifiable answers to:

What chemicals will be used?
A full list is the bare minimum. No more vague references to “world-class safety standards.”
How will PFAS-related chemicals be managed?
Saying they “don’t use prohibited substances” means nothing — PFAS used in chip packaging are not prohibited.
Ask for containment, monitoring, and disposal plans.
What is the safety and emergency plan?
Fire, gas leak, spill, explosion, equipment failure — where are the documents?
Have they been shared with fire, EMS, schools?
How much water will the facility use — and reuse?
Up to 2.8 million gallons per day is more than half our city’s supply. Ask for:
actual daily usage
reuse percentage
discharge volume
a hard cap
aquifer protections
How will groundwater be protected?
“Prevention” is not a plan. Ask for engineering details and monitoring commitments.
Has the environmental study actually started?
For six months, SK hynix and the Mayor have said it “will be done.” Yet:
no consultant
no timeline
no study released
What hazardous waste will be produced — and where will it go?
Ask for quantities, disposal routes, and frequency.
What air emissions should we expect?
Ask for exact chemical names, volumes, and conditions — not “advanced filtration.”
Why This Matters

These aren’t trick questions, they’re the basic information any community deserves before a massive industrial site is built next to apartments, daycares, schools, and parks.

This project affects all of us, not just the people in the room.

And hopefully, at some point, SK hynix will hold a real public meeting where every resident can hear the same answers at the same time.

Background on PFAS risks: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14QimWC2PGb/

Previous incidents:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1an2kpFkEu/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CipBpMcko/.

The water usage:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D4Sc5kj3J/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AVK6J7KC5/

Facts You Need to Know: Property Values — Why Distance Matters

SK hynix’s FAQ claims that industrial projects can “enhance property values.” But what matters most isn’t the project itself — it’s how close you live to it.

Housing research consistently shows that homes located very close to heavy industrial zones sell for less than similar homes even a short distance away. Buyers worry about noise, traffic, environmental risks, and long-term uncertainty, all factors that reduce demand for the closest homes.

That matters here because many West Lafayette neighborhoods fall within 0.5 to 1 mile of the proposed heavy-industry site. For these homes, the question is not whether SK hynix benefits the region — it’s how its presence affects everyday life right next door.

At the same time, SK hynix continues to repeat optimistic phrases like “improved infrastructure” and “economic benefits.” But so far, there has been:

no infrastructure plan
no independent property impact study
no data showing benefits for nearby homeowners
When a company claims its project will help property values, the community deserves more than a slogan. We deserve real numbers, real analysis, and real transparency.

Sponsor a Yard Sign

Each sign shows unity and care. It's a visible message that safety and transparency matter. Your donation helps us print more signs, reach more neighbors, and keep the conversation alive.

Get a yard sign or donate here: https://forms.gle/UN782BQNPpCsr18b9

Thank You for Standing With Us.

Every week, more people get involved — sharing information, asking questions, helping one another stay informed. This is what a community looks like: steady, thoughtful, and united.

We are strongest when we stand together and we are proving that every day.

—The Stop Heavy Industry Team

November 6, 2025

Hi everyone,
Thank you for following and sharing our updates. This is our 4th community newsletter, and we’re so grateful to have you with us. Every new reader, every shared post, and every conversation helps our message reach farther.

If someone forwarded this to you and you’d like to receive future updates directly, you can join our mailing list here: https://forms.gle/LP7ZUkqWA8wuK4pWA

Together, we’re building a safer, stronger West Lafayette.

On the Ground: What’s Happening in West Lafayette
Neighbors in White — 12 Stations, One Message
On a cold, windy afternoon, dozens of neighbors gathered at 12 locations surrounding the proposed $3.87 billion SK hynix site.

Each location lies within what is commonly referred to as a blast or hazard-impact zone — the broad area around the proposed SK hynix site where, in the event of a major industrial leak, fire, or explosion, toxic gases or blast effects could potentially reach residences, day-care centers, health-care facilities, and other public spaces.

They stood in quiet unity, wearing white hazmat suits — the kind used inside chip factories — not as a costume, but as a warning.

The message was simple: our homes, schools, and first responders are too close for comfort.

This wasn’t a protest against technology — it was a reminder of what responsible development should look like.

What the Oct. 29 demonstration made visible was something the city keeps ignoring: how close real people are to real risk, and how little protection they’ve been given.

Residents Don Clean Room-Style Gear in Next Protest of SK hynix Site

City Council Meeting: Hazmat Suits in City Hall
At the Nov. 3 City Council meeting, residents again filled the chamber in hazmat suits.

They wore those suits not for theater, but because they know what happens when things go wrong.

On the night of the “Money Over Neighbors” vote, the city approved this rezoning without any independent risk assessment or disaster response plan.

Six months later, there is still nothing.

That’s why residents are asking the city to require:

A comprehensive impact and risk analysis before construction
A public disaster response plan
Full disclosure from SK hynix about the chemicals and safety measures they will use to protect nearby neighborhoods
Meanwhile, the Mayor, who publicly endorsed a childcare center right next to this heavy industrial zone, continues to offer empty assurances, repeating SK hynix’s claim that the company will “EDUCATE” local residents.

But after months of silence and spin, what people need is not education from a corporation — it is transparency, data, and accountability from their city.

SK hynix Neighbors Demand Disaster Plans in West Lafayette

Community Voices Clash with Industrial Developments at WL City Council Meeting

Four New Hospitals — After One Chip Factory
Within months of the SK hynix rezoning, two hospital systems — Parkview and Franciscan — have moved quickly to expand in West Lafayette. Together with IU Health and Ascension’s projects already in the works, the city will soon have four hospitals — an unprecedented surge for a town this size.

We’ve needed more hospital capacity for years, and that’s something everyone in this community can agree on.

But what stands out is how closely two of these new projects align with the SK hynix rezoning — and where they’re being built.

Parkview’s $200 million hospital, located right next to the new heavy industrial zone, and Franciscan’s new ER, about 2.4 miles away, both emerged soon after the rezoning approval.

Their timing suggests they see what’s coming: more risk and greater demand for emergency care once SK hynix moves in.

As Franciscan CEO Terry Wilson put it:

“Enormous growth … with the SK hynix chip factory and other things.”

Meanwhile, IU Health and Ascension are also clustered along the same US 231 corridor — forming a concentration of hospitals within just a few miles of the SK hynix site.

Proximity Snapshot

Parkview Hospital — adjacent to SK hynix site
Franciscan ER — ≈ 2.4 miles
IU Health West Lafayette — ≈ 1.5 miles
Ascension Expansion — ≈ 3 miles
Even hospitals are quietly preparing for what this development could bring.

This isn’t simply economic growth — it’s the city rewriting its own health map in response to industrial risk.

IU Health Confirms: That’s Where West Lafayette Hospital Will Go
IU Health Rezoning Request Hints at Hospital Site in West Lafayette

Hospital Next to Heavy Industry — PRF’s Zoning Contradictions Deepen

Site A Downzone: Delayed Again
Remember the “commitment to downzone Site A”?

Councilor Iris O’Donnell Bellisario used that promise to justify her yes vote on May 5:

“Approving the rezoning for Site B, especially with the commitment to downzone Site A, puts us in the strongest position to work with them as partners.”
And Mayor Erin Easter told the public:

“I think it is a concession on PRF’s behalf and something that shows they’re serious about safeguarding the community and listening to the community.”
That so-called “concession” became the city’s justification for pushing through the SK hynix rezoning — a way to reassure residents that heavy industry wasn’t expanding.

Now, six months later, the APC has unanimously recommended the Site A downzone, yet the City Council postponed its vote, citing that the City Attorney “won’t be present.”

That’s not a legal requirement.

That’s a choice.

When the APC issued its recommendation, the delay meant that the promised protective zoning change remained unimplemented — and heavy-industrial zoning stayed in place for Site A. Each postponement meant more time without the transparency and safeguards that were part of the original public negotiation.

Understand the Risk: What “Blast Radius” Really Means
A blast radius is the area that could be affected when a pressurized tank or chemical system fails — how far heat, smoke, or shockwaves can travel if something goes wrong.

Chip-manufacturing and advanced-packaging facilities often use gases such as hydrogen, silane, and ammonia — all highly flammable. These are stored in large pressurized tanks and fed through complex piping systems that require constant monitoring. Even a small leak or spark can have serious consequences.

SK hynix has faced several such incidents:

2013 (Wuxi, China): A fire broke out in the plant’s Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) machinery, spreading smoke through cleanrooms and destroying equipment.
2015 (Icheon, Korea): A nitrogen gas leak killed three workers at a facility under construction after oxygen was displaced by inert gas.
2021 (Icheon, Korea): A smaller industrial gas exposure injured workers and prompted local safety investigations.
Maybe the company has improved since then. Maybe safeguards are better now.

But should a neighborhood bet on “maybe”?

This site sits just down the road from a rocket-propellant facility — another operation involving energetic materials. Even if unrelated, co-location raises obvious concerns about emergency-response planning.

Low probability doesn’t mean no risk.

And when homes, schools, and hospitals are this close, distance is the only safeguard you can’t rebuild afterward.

One blast is all it takes.

The Choice They’ll Own
A five-part investigative series exposing how SK hynix, PRF, and city leaders pushed heavy industry into a residential community — and who will bear the consequences.

Over five days, this series unpacks what West Lafayette was promised, what was hidden, and what the record really shows. Each post pairs research, documented incidents, and local decisions to reveal the cost of calling risk “development.”

Day 1 – The Truth Behind “Advanced Packaging”
Day 2 – When Innovation Explodes: The Intel Chemical Incidents
Day 3 – Toxic Water, Dead River: The Samsung Acid Spill
Day 4 – The Bulldozer Chip Factory: What SK hynix Isn’t Telling You
Day 5 – Who Will Own the Consequences

What You Can Do This Week
Sponsor a Yard Sign

Each sign shows unity and care — a visible message that safety and transparency matter.
Your donation helps us print more signs, reach more neighbors, and keep the conversation alive.

Get a yard sign or donate here

Take Action

Forward this newsletter

Get a yard sign

Donate to the lawsuit

Sign the petition

Visit our website

Thank you for staying informed, for caring, and for standing together.
Every voice, every conversation, and every act of awareness makes a difference.
We may not have all the answers yet, but we have each other — and that’s how change begins.

With appreciation,

The STOP Heavy Industry Team

October 29, 2025

Dear Friends,

The City has confirmed that tomorrow’s public input session (Thu, Oct 30 · 7–8:30 p.m., John R. Dennis Wellness Center) will focus only on the Fire Station No. 3 expansion.

While we appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the project, many residents are still waiting for a chance to ask questions about the proposed childcare center site near the SK hynix and Anduril rocket fuel facility.

This issue is important to families and the broader community, and it deserves its own dedicated public discussion — before any decisions are made.

We encourage you to urge the City by calling, writing to Mayor Easter and council members to schedule a transparent, public forum on childcare site planning, so residents can fully understand the safety, environmental, and long-term implications of the proposed location.

Please write or call:

Mayor Erin Easter

(765) 775-5102

mayor@westlafayette.in.gov

City Council

(765) 775-5150

CityCouncil@westlafayette.in.gov.

And don’t forget — the next opportunity to speak directly to city leaders will be at the City Council meeting on Monday, Nov 3 (6:30 p.m., West Lafayette City Hall).

Join us to remind our officials that community safety and transparency are not optional.

Your voice matters — showing up makes a difference.

Take Actions:

Donate to the lawsuit

Get a yard sign

Sign the petition

Thank you for being part of this movement .

Together, we’re building a future for West Lafayette that puts people, not industry, first.

—The Stop Heavy Industry Team

October 23, 2025

Welcome!
Whether you’ve been with us from the start or just joined, we’re glad you’re here. This is our third community update — and together, we’re growing stronger every week. Let’s keep pushing for safety, transparency, and smart planning for our city. Also please follow us on Facebook for near-daily updates: facebook.com/stopheavyindustry.

Latest Developments and Legal Updates
SK hynix Lawsuit Update – The Fight Is Still Alive!
The judge has ruled that key parts of the lawsuit will move forward, rejecting the City and PRF’s attempt to dismiss the case.

The court will now look at three central questions:

Did the City Council follow proper procedures when it overturned the APC’s 9–5 vote to deny rezoning?
Was there any rational basis for placing heavy industry beside homes, schools, and daycares?
Did the City act arbitrarily or unreasonably in approving SK hynix’s request?
The APC is no longer a defendant, but its records remain part of the case.

In short: this isn’t over. The court is listening, and our community’s call for transparency and safety is being heard.

Read the reports:

Decision on Motion to Dismiss Lawsuits Challenging SK hynix Rezoning Expected in 30 Days
Attorneys Argue What to Do with Lawsuits Against West Lafayette Microchip Factory (J&C)

Attorney Challenges City’s Rezoning Decision
A longtime West Lafayette attorney has stepped in to support residents suing the City, Purdue Research Foundation, and SK hynix over the rezoning that cleared the way for the company’s $3.87 billion chip facility.

In his filing as amicus curiae — a neutral adviser to the court — he argued that the City Council’s decision was “arbitrary and capricious” and showed “obedience to a foreign corporation.” His brief highlights just how serious the concerns over the rezoning process have become.

Read the report: A New Wrinkle in the SK hynix Lawsuits

APC Recommends Downzoning Site A
The APC gave a 15–0 recommendation to downzone Site A from I3 (heavy industry) to Office/Research use.

This “Site A” downzoning was part of a deal PRF and SK hynix offered back in May — contingent on City Council approving the industrial rezoning of “Site B” across Yeager Road for the proposed 340,000-square-foot SK hynix semiconductor facility.

The City Council approved Site B’s rezoning (6–3) in May despite strong public opposition. Yet the promised downzoning of Site A didn’t move forward until nearly six months later — only when delaying it further became untenable.

The timing makes the move appear more calculated than genuine. PRF and SK hynix, now facing lawsuits over the rezoning, seemed eager to keep Site A as a fallback. Now, plans are emerging to build a hospital on that same site — again raising questions about planning and compatibility.

Next step: The West Lafayette City Council will take the final vote on the downzoning next city council meeting.

Nov. 3 | 6:30 PM @City Hall (222 N. Chauncey Ave)

Will the City Council respect the APC’s recommendation this time?

A Daycare Next to a Chip Factory?
The City of West Lafayette has announced plans for a new Early Childhood Education Center along Kalberer Road, designed to serve 75–125 children.

The problem? It’s located right next to the land recently rezoned for SK hynix’s semiconductor facility — a heavy industrial site that will handle toxic chemicals, high-pressure gases, and generate around-the-clock truck traffic.

It’s also just down the road from Adranos, a rocket-fuel facility in an industry where a recent explosion in Tennessee killed 16 people.

Mayor Erin Easter has voiced full support for the project, saying, “We have a lot of confidence in this spot.”

Bottom line: Who puts a daycare beside a heavy-industry zone? Who uses children as a human buffer?

Nov. 19 – The West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission will review proposals for the daycare’s design. Now is the time to speak up before it’s too late.

Read the report: West Lafayette Eyes Site Near SK hynix for Early Childhood Ed Center

What Parkview’s Proposed Hospital Really Means for Our Neighborhood
Most of us want better healthcare — and on the surface, a new hospital sounds like good news. But Parkview’s proposed hospital at Yeager & Kalberer raises serious questions about safety, planning, and trust.

Here’s what it means for our community:

Traffic overload: 24/7 ambulances, staff, and visitors on roads never designed for that volume.
Light and noise pollution: Hospitals never sleep, bright lights, generators, and sirens will disrupt nearby homes.
Safety risks: More high-speed vehicles make the area less safe for kids, walkers, and cyclists.
Zoning mismatch: This area was meant for residential living — not a major hospital campus.
Earlier this year, PRF promised to downzone this land from I3 (heavy industry) to OR (Office/Research). It should be a quieter, low-impact use that made sense next to homes.

Now, they’re petitioning for medical use instead, which is far more intensive and not compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods.

Let’s be clear: hospitals aren’t the problem — location is.

A 24/7 medical facility placed between a heavy-industrial chip plant and a rocket-fuel facility is risky for everyone: residents, patients, and hospital staff alike.

This is part of PRF’s pattern: profit and speed over thoughtful planning. They’re rebranding the same area as a “health and innovation district” — mixing industry, hospitals, and homes with no real buffer.

And the hospital operator, Parkview Health, has its own record. A Guardian investigation revealed how Parkview became one of the most expensive hospital systems in the country, not by improving care, but by acting like a commercial monopoly: driving up prices, reducing competition, and burdening patients with higher costs.

We’re not against progress or healthcare workers. We’re simply asking for smart, honest development that puts people before profit.

Public Information Meeting: John R. Dennis Wellness Center Nov. 13 | 7–8:30 PM

Come, listen, and make your voice heard.

Read the full Guardian article: ‘Unlimited dollars’: how an Indiana hospital chain took over a region and jacked up prices

Information is power — let’s make sure we know what we’re signing up for.

Donate or Sponsor a Yard Sign
Change starts right here — in our own front yards. Each sign shows unity and care.

Your donation helps us spread that message further. Sponsor a sign, share with neighbors, and help us fill our community with voices for safety, health, and transparency.

Together, we’re growing awareness, connection, and hope.

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National News
Tennessee Explosion — A Warning We Can’t Ignore
A rocket-fuel plant explosion in Hickman County, Tennessee, killed 16 people and leveled a building.

The site sat on 1,300 rural acres — yet the shockwave was felt 15 miles away.

Now imagine that in West Lafayette, where Adranos, Inc. manufactures solid rocket fuel just 0.36 miles from homes on land owned by PRF.

Adranos produces ALITEC, a defense-grade rocket fuel used in missiles and launch systems.

And right next to it? PRF plans to place the SK hynix advanced packaging plant.

When one facility handling energetic materials is already a risk, adding another beside it multiplies the danger.

We’re not asking for much, just for our city to put safety before profit.

Tennessee Plant Explosion That Killed 16 Was Preventable, National COSH Says
What to Know About the Blast at a Tennessee Explosives Plant That Left No Survivors (AP)

Floral Farms, Texas — An Environmental Justice Win
After years of protests over pollution and health hazards from “Shingle Mountain,” the Dallas City Council approved a major rezoning for Floral Farms, officially ending industrial use in the neighborhood.

New rules ban new industrial businesses and prevent existing ones from expanding — a hard-won victory for residents who fought for clean air and safe homes.