[nine_k]

Since the plant was around long before the homes, the homes were built around it. Zoning laws, if they existed then, should have prevented the homes from building, not the plant.

[Aloha]

Grew up there, the plant wasn't there first, probably around the same age.

[thephyber]

I have seen this claim (the plant was there first), but I can’t find a source.

The nearest houses were built in 1958 according to Zillow.

[jeffbee]

The earliest photo in Google Earth is 1984 and at that time the site is already totally surrounded by houses for miles.