Name: Developers, residents at odds over proposed landfill's impact on St. Tammany Parish
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Developers, residents at odds over proposed landfill's impact on St. Tammany Parish

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You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.A public notice looms in front of an abandoned dirt race track off Louisiana 36 in rural St. Tammany Parish. Developers are seeking a rezoning to construct a construction and debris landfil on the site, Aug. 30, 2020.A sign in front of a home on La. 434 makes it clear what the homeowner thinks of a proposal to put a construction and demolition landfill on nearby La. 36.&nbsp;A public notice looms in front of an abandoned dirt race track off Louisiana 36 in rural St. Tammany Parish. Developers are seeking a rezoning to construct a construction and debris landfil on the site, Aug. 30, 2020.A sign in front of a home on La. 434 makes it clear what the homeowner thinks of a proposal to put a construction and demolition landfill on nearby La. 36.&nbsp;To a trio of developers, a nearly 105-acre tract of land in central St. Tammany Parish that was once home to a racetrack is an ideal site for a construction and demolition debris landfill&nbsp;— something they say the rapidly growing parish has long needed and can be done responsibly.But that's a hard sell to St. Tammany Parish residents, whose hackles rise at the very mention of the word landfill.More than 100 people packed a public meeting earlier this month to raise vehement objections to rezoning the land north of Louisiana 36 and east of La. 424. They see the location, on the headwaters of Bayou Lacombe, as environmentally sensitive and fear that a landfill&nbsp;— even one that only takes construction and demolition debris&nbsp;— could pollute the bayou, hurt the aquifer and wreck property values."There are nasty things that come out, even from C&amp;D landfills," said Margie Vicknair-Pray, a Sierra Club staff member and resident of nearby Lacombe. "It's not something you want draining into the headwaters of a protected stream."The St. Tammany Parish Zoning Commission will consider the request to rezone the property from a combination of residential and highway commercial zoning to a solid waste management district at 6 p.m. Tuesday. If the meeting that was held at the larger Castine Center on Aug. 19 is any indication, the crowd will likely exceed the COVID-19 seating limitations at the Parish Council chambers of Koop Drive.Developers Brett Davis, Clark Heebe and Heath Rushing&nbsp;— all St. Tammany Parish residents&nbsp;—&nbsp;are seeking the rezoning, which Davis describes as a beneficial development that will reduce the cost of disposing construction debris now hauled to sites outside of St. Tammany.He points to a study commissioned by the parish after Hurricane Katrina that identified a construction and debris landfill as a top priority. But 15 years later, it still hasn't been addressed."We can't, as a progressive, educated community ... kick the can down the road and put our debris on adjacent parishes," Davis said. If at some point, out-of-parish landfills stop taking St. Tammany debris, he said, the parish will be in trouble. The landfill they are proposing would also mean storm debris could be cleared more quickly, he said.But Vicknair-Pray and the scores of residents who spoke out at the meeting say the project's potential effect on the aquifer that provides drinking water.Lindsey Capdepon, who moved to Lacombe from Harahan, said she knows what it's like to live with the smell generated by hydrogen sulfide from a landfill. That was a problem for her when she lived near the Jefferson Parish landfill, and while this is a different kind of landfill, she said drywall also produces hydrogen sulfide as it breaks down.&nbsp;"The first few years, probably no one will notice it," she said. "But it's not just a benign thing. It will age and stuff will break down and go into the air and water."The biggest stories in business, delivered to you every day. Sign up today.Davis said that the developers got good feedback on the public's environmental concerns, and they will ask the Zoning Commission to postpone a vote for 60 days so they can do soil borings and other preliminary engineering work to ensure that there won't be water quality issues."Normally we wouldn't spend that on the front end," Davis said.The developers stress that this kind of landfill, often called a C&amp;D landfill, is far different from one that handles household waste, and Davis pointed out that a mailer that was sent out in opposition to the rezoning is misleading because it show the latter type.Davis said competitors, like Stranco and Coastal Environmental Services, which was bought last year by River Birch, are actively opposing the rezoning because they don't want competition.But Bilbo Strain of Stranco said that his opposition isn't based on any fear it would put him out of business. He said there isn't a need for one and that St. Tammany doesn't generate enough construction debris to make the landfill succeed. He says he thinks that the landfill will end up taking waste from other places, noting that the developers wouldn't commit to only taking St. Tammany waste.Davis and his partners are wooing support. The developers are offering to take routine maintenance debris generated by parish government free of charge for the life of the landfill&nbsp;— something he says will mean significant savings to taxpayers. The site will also take up to 2 yards of construction and debris waste every year from each household free of charge.Vicknair-Pray dismissed that offer as simply an attempt to generate support from people who don't live near the site.But Davis said that neither he nor his partners will participate in a development that contaminates drinking water or causes runoff to Bayou Lacombe, where he grew up."We believe in the project, it's responsible development and hopefully the council members and the Planning and Zoning Commission will judge the project on its merits alone."Councilman Steve Stefancik, who met with Heebe and Davis, said that he views the landfill as something that the parish could use, but not necessarily something it needs. The debris is being handled today, he noted, although at a higher cost to constituents. He said that might be a cost people are willing to pay."A majority of the council will take a look, wait for all the facts and then make up their minds," he said.© Copyright 2022 , 840 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA&nbsp;| &nbsp;|Powered by from .

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.A public notice looms in front of an abandoned dirt race track off Louisiana 36 in rural St. Tammany Parish. Developers are seeking a rezoning to construct a construction and debris landfil on the site, Aug. 30, 2020.A sign in front of a home on La. 434 makes it clear what the homeowner thinks of a proposal to put a construction and demolition landfill on nearby La. 36.&nbsp;A public notice looms in front of an abandoned dirt race track off Louisiana 36 in rural St. Tammany Parish. Developers are seeking a rezoning...

Developers, residents at odds over proposed landfill's impact on St. Tammany Parish

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