ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission approved two items related to a landfill expansion Thursday night.
The proposal involves WM’s expansion of the Grand Central Landfill in Plainfield Township, Northampton County. The commission reviewed a proposed zoning ordinance amendment which regulates the amount of waste a landfill can daily acquire and the land development application itself for the 211.1-acre expansion.
Zoning ordinance
Plainfield Township’s ordinance currently limits disposal to 1,200 tons per day over any calendar month, with a maximum of 1,500 tons per day. The amendment increases these limits to a 2,750-ton average per day over any calendar month, with a 3,000 tons per day maximum.
A LVPC staff review notes the amendment “aligns local regulations with DEP authorizations” and with a LVPC document by “providing environmentally responsible and economically solid, electronic, and hazardous waste disposal and recycling.”
Land development
WM is required to obtain township approval for their project, known as the Eastern Expansion, through the township’s conditional use process.
The project site contains about 112 woodland acres. The site plan indicates that about 55 acres of the wooded areas will be removed, and 57 acres will be retained. The proposed landfill area is about 95 acres, according to LVPC, with 52 acres utilized for landfill support.
WM’s expansion proposal for its Grand Central Landfill faces scrutiny this week by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
The agency’s report recommends “the township pursues assurance that the proposed landfill area will not encroach on surrounding natural resources.” LVPC adds, “This can be accomplished by a land protection tool such as a conservation easement, land dedication, or memorializing agreements in the notes on recorded plans as to the limits of disposal.”
LVPC is also advising Plainfield to ensure that “air quality, groundwater, odor and noise impacts are thoroughly evaluated and mitigated, especially for nearby residential areas, school and community facilities.”
Reviewing transportation, the agency said a traffic impact study landfill generates currently 177 weekday trips, and that the proposed expansion will not increase trip generation. LVPC added the project site is not located near major corridors.