Local News - December 2003

Planning board approves zoning for landfill

Published December 3, 2003

Many E. Lincoln residents voice  heated opposition

By ALICE SMITH, Staff Writer

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After two hours of public comment and several long silences, the county Planning Board voted 7-1 to recommend the rezoning of a 230-acre tract of land in east Lincoln, an action largely opposed by residents Monday night.

Planning board member John Pagel cast the sole vote against the motion.

Developers want to operate a landfill on the site, which is currently wooded and vacant.

Members voted 7-1, with member Clyde Brown voting against, to defer placing conditions on the land’s use until a more specific plan could be presented.

The landfill, which would be located on the west side of Beth Haven Church Road near Mundy Road, brought out Denver residents in droves. Most of the nearly 75  people in attendance during Monday’s Board of Commissioners meeting were against the application, but several spoke in favor of it.

Gary Dellinger of RGS, LLC asked the board to rezone the land from residential to industrial so he could operate a construction/demolition, land-clearing and inert debris landfill there.

The landfill would probably be in operation for 30 years and will then be turned into a county park, Dellinger said. It’s needed because as east Lincoln grows, so does the amount of trash produced by construction, he said.

The Lincoln County Land Use Plan has designated the area as a possible park site. Dellinger said he would set up a fund to pay for the park.

Residents voiced concerns about the environment, safety, traffic, property values and serenity of their neighborhoods.

Some were moved to tears while addressing commissioners and the Planning Board; some became angry.

“My husband and I, by the grace of God, scraped up enough money to buy our first home,” said Jennifer Neilson, who lives on Beth Haven Church Road, in an emotional plea to both boards. “Don’t ruin my dream.”

Several residents spoke about moving to the area to get away from busier cities and neighborhoods.

Steven Strezeski said he moved to Lincoln County for the pristine woodland and quiet atmosphere of his neighborhood.

“It’s beautiful, and putting in a landfill seems like desecration,” he said.

The Delling Downs subdivision, developed by Dellinger, backs up to the landfill site. It’s a quiet, rural neighborhood of mostly single-story homes.

County rules state that the landfill must be 200 feet away from property lines and 500 feet from any residential structures or wells.

Dellinger tried to assure the boards and residents that the landfill would be an asset to east Lincoln.

“We sat down and thought what would be the least impact on the community as a whole,” he said.

A landfill would have no effect on schools, law enforcement or utilities, Dellinger said. He plans to have an attractive entrance to the site.

Officials estimated that about 80 percent of the trash taken to the landfill will come from Lincoln County. About 80 trucks a day are expected to be going in and out of the site.

Well monitoring would take place regularly to reduce any risk of contamination, they said.

Pagel said he wanted more information on specifics of the landfill and recommended deferring any vote until it could be provided.

“Listening to the residents, if I had to answer the question myself, would I want to live in a development with a landfill next to it, I’d have to say no,” Pagel said. “You’re not making just a slight shift here, you’re talking residential to industrial.”

Pagel’s motion to defer was met by silence and died because of the lack of a second.

Member Harold Howard Jr. made a motion to recommend that commissioners approve the application. With Pagel’s no vote, the motion to rezone passed 7-1.

Discussion then turned to what conditions would be placed on the landfill, and Pagel pushed for some sort of traffic restrictions.

Planning Board Chairman Dean Lutz said the board could not dictate anything regarding road construction or improvements and that issue would have to be sent to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Residents left over from the public hearing began to leave the Citizens Center auditorium, some shaking their heads and sighing.

The motion to table the conditions until more information could be gathered passed 7-1.

At the end of the meeting, Lutz encouraged residents who were unhappy with the board’s decision to contact commissioners.

The issue will go back before the Planning Board Jan. 5. Commissioners could hear the case Jan. 26, pending the Planning Board’s recommendation.

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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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