Planning commission defers decision on Black Diamond rubble landfill after Christiansburg raises road-weight concerns

The Montgomery County Planning Commission on June 11 opened a public hearing on Black Diamond Resources LLC’s request for a special use permit to operate a rubble landfill and deferred action after town officials raised concerns about truck traffic and pavement capacity.

Staff told the commission the 65.727-acre site, just outside the town of Christiansburg and adjacent to Route 460 and Norfolk Southern Railroad, would accept inert construction debris and be filled in two phases. The applicant, represented by John Neal, engineer with Foresight Design Services, proposes Phase 1 to cover 6.71 acres and Phase 2 about 36.4 acres; 19.63 acres would remain conserved open space. The operation is described as lasting up to 40 years, with proposed hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and an estimated 0 to 30 dump-truck trips per day.

Staff said it could not make a recommendation because concerns raised by the Town of Christiansburg about the capacity of Village Lane had not been addressed. “The town of Christiansburg has requested that the applicant provide an engineering analysis to show that the existing road pavement sections are designed to handle the additional weight and frequency of traffic,” staff noted in the presentation. The town also asked for core sampling of Village Lane to evaluate pavement structure; the applicant did not provide that analysis.

Neal told commissioners the applicant disagrees with the town’s request for core testing, saying a single core is not representative and that historic development and past maintenance make it difficult to apportion responsibility for future pavement deterioration. Neal said Black Diamond bought the site in April 2023 and that there have been no complaints since the current owner took possession. He asked the commission to allow occasional Saturday use “when there’s a need,” arguing the company is not planning a steady increase in daily traffic.

Neighbors and one speaker representing nearby properties raised concerns about dust, runoff and the existing pond on the site. Alex Hazouri, who identified himself as a Christiansburg resident, asked whether soil and pond water would be tested and whether neighbors would have access to testing reports. Staff replied that any environmental testing would be done through the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and that site access is private and would require permission from the property owner.

Staff outlined a set of conditions it would recommend if the commission chose approval, including limiting fill to the boundaries shown on the concept map, marking fill boundaries on the property, maintaining a minimum 75-foot buffer (100 feet adjacent to residential areas), requiring a dust-management plan for the access road, requiring all permits from other agencies (for example, DEQ and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) prior to site-plan approval, restricting hours to 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday and requiring annual special-use-permit compliance inspections.

Commissioners focused discussion on responsibility for pavement and whether the town’s request for analysis should be accommodated before approval. After discussion, the commission voted unanimously to defer action on the rubble-landfill special use permit to the commission’s next meeting so staff can follow up on the town’s concerns and the county attorney can advise on enforceability of possible conditions.

The item will return to the commission at a later meeting for further consideration.