Pittston Twp. was unaware of and is in opposition to solid waste transfer station in Yatesville Borough

Pittston Twp. wasn’t informed of solid waste transfer station proposal

Pittston Township released a statement opposing the construction of a solid waste transfer station in Yatesville Borough, which was recently granted zoning approval by the Luzerne County Zoning Hearing Board.

“Pittston Township was not notified of the proposal or the zoning hearing proceedings and did not become aware that the special exception had been granted until the following day, after reading about the approval in a local newspaper article,” the township wrote in an official statement that was posted to its Facebook page Thursday.

The facility will be built on a 9.63-acre parcel of land behind 151 Brown St. in Yatesville Borough, which borders Pittston Township.

Both the township and the borough are considered part of the Greater Pittston region, which also includes Avoca, Dupont, Duryea, Exeter Borough, Exeter Township, Hughestown, Jenkins Township, Laflin, West Pittston, West Wyoming, and Wyoming.

While Pittston Township handles its own zoning and code enforcement, Luzerne County handles those for Yatesville, along with a number of other municipalities.

Because of the potential impacts of the facility, like truck traffic, environmental concerns, quality of life issues, and effects on surrounding residential areas, Pittston Township said neighboring municipalities should have been made aware of the zoning hearing so residents could comment on the project.

The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act 247, states that notice of a zoning hearing must be published in a newspaper of general circulation in two consecutive weeks, with the first publication not more than 30 days prior to the date of the hearing and the second publication not less than seven 7 days prior to the date of the hearing.

According to the public notice of the zoning hearing released by Luzerne County, the notice was published twice in the local newspaper on Wednesday, May 20, and again on Wednesday, May 27.

Additionally, the notice was posted to the property itself.

“The township will remain in close contact with state and local leaders to monitor developments and determine what additional actions can be taken regarding the proposed solid waste transfer station,” the post concluded.

Representatives from the Luzerne County Zoning Department could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.