The Coos County Planning Commission approved a plan to mine chromite on forest lands by Oregon Resources Corp., a Portland company.

Conditional-use permits were approved for two things: a refinery at the 28-acre former Glenbrook Nickel Co. site in Bunker Hill; and the second for a chromite mining operation on 2,000 acres of forestland that stretches from Seven Devils Road to near Charleston. ORC either owns or leases the land on which it plans to mine.

ORC said its plans have been in the works since about 1989 and that there is enough chromite in the land to keep the plant working for about 20 years. It expects to create about 65 jobs and have a payroll between $3.5 million and $4 million a year.

But the issue wasn’t without controversy.

ORC first pulled one of its six proposed sites — the Shepard site — from potential mining because of its proximity to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

Then neighbors on Seven Devils and near Bandon filed an appeal to the Coos County Commission.

“We regret that the project that has been in development for 18 years has been delayed,” Cheryl L. Wilson, president of Oregon Resources, said at the time.

Neighbors pooled money to help pay for the appeal.

“There is a lot of support for this,” opponent Sharon Comden said. “There is a lot of concern.”

The appellants said the planning commission should have required more information before approving a permit. They also said they were concerned about damage to the quality of life for nearby residents who will have to listen to trucks and mining operations 24 hours a day; that it might raise the risk of fire; that there could be increased noise and dust; and increased risks to groundwater.