A Manhattan-based company has withdrawn its application to build and operate a sand-dredging facility north of Lawrence near the Midland Junction.

The move by Midwest Concrete Materials comes after the Federal Aviation Administration voiced concerns about the site creating a lake and attracting migratory birds.

“We want to continue to pursue this site. But sand is a resource that is critical to the successful operation of any community, particularly of this size, so it’s likely that a continued search for a nearby sand source is ongoing,” said Tim Herndon, a principal at Landplan Engineering, who represents Midwest Concrete Materials on the project.

The company applied for a conditional-use permit with Douglas County for the facility on a portion of 310 acres it owns. Neighbors were concerned about the loss of farmland and about truck traffic in the area.

Elizabeth Isham Cory, an FAA spokeswoman, said the agency notified the city, which operates the airport, that FAA officials objected to the sand facility proposal because it would bring a new body of water an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 feet from the closest runway.

“We do not want to see a wildlife attraction like that any closer than 10,000 feet” to an airport, Cory said.

The Planning Commission was scheduled to consider the sand facility proposal later this month, but on Monday the city’s Aviation Advisory Board voted 4-1 to send a recommendation to the City Commission supporting the FAA’s stance.

Tom Kern, president and CEO of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, dissented. Kern said he was aware of the safety issue with migratory birds, but he wanted to hear specifically from the FAA about what ramifications Lawrence would face if the company built the sand-dredging operation there.

Herndon said Midwest Concrete Materials did not believe the plan would create issues with the airport because the site was more than 1 mile from the airport and because other bodies of water are closer to the airport.

“It was relatively late in the review process when this arose as a critical consideration,” he said.

Herndon said he was not on the company’s site selection committee and could not comment about other potential sites. Kern said he was optimistic the company could find a new site in Douglas County.