A new solid waste facility proposed for Danbury has cleared one hurdle.
A Hearing Officer at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has issued a Proposed Final Decision recommending the DEEP Commissioner issue a permit allowing for the construction and operation of a solid waste facility at 14 Plumtrees Road in Danbury. The Hearing Officer found that the proposed facility will have only minor impacts on traffic and no impact on the health of those living nearby.
It's estimated that there would be 260 round trips by trucks, and 28 by employees.
A permit application was sent to DEEP in 2011, and a public hearing was held about it in Danbury in May 2014. The application was seeking a permit for accepting up to 800 tons per day of household waste, recyclables and construction or demolition debris. That material would be consolidated and processed on site before being taken away.
MSW Associates, LLC, and Joseph Putnam proposed replacing the existing auto-body shop on the 2.5 acre property.
MSW is currently suing the City over the Planning Commission's 2007 denial of his application to construct a waste transfer station at that site. The permit application before DEEP is for a larger facility than the one proposed to local officials.
In addressing issues raised during the proceedings on this matter, the Hearing Officer determined there is sufficient room for vehicles waiting to deliver waste to the proposed facility to queue on-site and off the traveled portion of Plumtrees Road. The Hearing Officer also found that all processing, and most storage, of waste will be indoors, ensuring that vectors such as insects, rodents and birds are not attracted by the proposed facility. The facility has been designed and proposed to operate in a manner to minimize noises that could disturb neighbors of the proposed facility.
Some modifications were made to the proposal by the Hearing Officer. One is that trucks delivering waste can not arrive at the facility before 6:45 AM. Trucks arriving between 6:45 AM and 7:00 AM must queue on-site in the space available on the Facility’s driveway. No backing by trucks equipped with backing alarms would be permitted before 7:00 AM.
This recommended condition of approval will ensure that trucks do not queue on Plumtrees Road in the hours before the proposed facility can begin accepting waste and clarifies that trucks may not being arriving at the proposed facility before 6:45 AM. If more trucks than can queue on-site arrive before 7:00 AM, it will be the responsibility of the operator of the proposed facility to turn those trucks away.
The City of Danbury, the Housing Authority, Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority and others have 15 days to file exceptions to the proposed decision.
The DEEP Commissioner will then issue the final decision of the Department.
The proposed facility is in the Ward that City Councilman Tom Saadi represents. He says he and area residents will continue to fight this proposal. He supports responsible businesses and corporate neighbors who create jobs without negatively impacting the area. From a matter of policy and constituent services, he plans to use all available legal and legislative procedural measures to oppose the project.
Over the past eight years, residents have opposed the project and spent hours at public hearings. Saadi wants to see the area protected, meaning that City officials make sure people follow land use rules and regulations, and that onerous projects are opposed.
Saadi says municipal approvals are still required. Local zoning and land use review will be part of the procedure going forward.
Arguments against the proposed facility include that the heavy trucks will cause noise, vibrations and emissions when accessing the site, during loading and unloading of waste, dropping and picking up of containers as well as when queuing or idling at the weight scale. City officials cited the quality of life of the residential developments located along Payne Road, Plumtrees Road, Shelter Rock Road as well as the low income housing development that abuts the proposed facility.
