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A Special Use Permit is a land use and zoning issue, one which changes the permitted use of an area from its current authorized use to one which may be more beneficial to the property owner. This change in use may have a detrimental impact on adjacent property owners and the general public who relied on the properties zoning classification in making economic and social decisions. The burden of proof for a Special Use permit rests with the property owner seeking the permit. The City of Hugo regulates both where mines may operate (through its zoning ordinance) and how mines may operate (through its mine ordinance). In considering the land use implications of where a mine may operate, the nature of mining operations must be considered as they will impact on public facilities and private property, as well as have an almost irreversible effect on the actual mined property. The asphalt plant and rock crusher are not necessarily an integral part of mining operations and were not specifically addressed in the application for a Special Use permit. For these reasons they should be considered separately through the mine application process or other zoning enforcement process. Limited evidence was presented that the proposed mining operation will have a negative impact on the public's health, through adverse affects of noise, dust and odor. There were two primary safety issues raised over the expanded mining operation: road use and concern for children being attracted to the equipment and excavations present on a mine site. Undoubtedly, the truck traffic generated by the mining operation pose a potential safety problem for the City's roads. When mining operations begin on property adjacent to the site proposed for the special use permit Hugo was largely a rural community with limited traffic on its roadways. Over the last decade Hugo has grown rapidly and will continue to grow in the future. County Road 8A is a primary east -west artery for Hugo, and a residential development corridor, as well as the major service road for the proposed mining site. Continuing, and possibly expanding, truck traffic from the mine site on this road will cause increased safety problems for the community. A large mining operation in close proximity to largely developed residential area is not consistent with the comprehensive municipal plan. Granting of the proposed special use permit will bring excavations and heavy equipment, such as bulldozers and dump trucks, to within a few hundred feet of existing homes located on the west side of the proposed mine site. This situation would last for years, creating an ongoing, dangerous situation for neighborhood children. Expansion of the gravel mining operation closer to adjacent residential properties will cause noise, smell and visual blight making them less attractive to potential buyers, and thus lower their value.