Huntersville planning staff and residents pressed Greenway Waste Solutions on environmental protections and road access after the company filed a conditional rezoning to expand the North Meck landfill.

The rezoning, filed as R25-09, would allow additional fill inside the existing landfill footprint and a proposed relocation of an on-site stream to the south so landfill cells could be expanded. Nathan Preece, planning staff, told the board the expansion requires both a rezoning amendment and a follow-up special-use permit that will be considered at a later hearing focused on technical evidence.

Why it matters: moving a stream and adding fill inside an existing landfill raises water-quality, grading and buffer issues and touches nearby neighborhoods along Holbrooks Road and Pottstown. The town’s zoning code (Article 9.23) requires special-purpose review for construction and demolition landfills, and staff said the special-use permit will require more extensive evidence on groundwater, stormwater and remediation.

Staff summary and outstanding items
Nathan Preece said the 2016 conditional rezoning and special-use permit that permitted the existing North Meck operation established conditions including an 80-foot special-purpose (landfill) buffer and an off-Holbrooks alternate access deadline (previously capped for Holbrooks use). The current application asks to reroute a pipe and open stream through the site, which triggers buffer and wetland disturbance requests and requires state 401/404 approvals. Preece said staff supports the concept of moving the stream out of the active fill area but remains engaged with the applicant on where buffers will be replanted, where fencing should be provided and how to accommodate the town’s greenway and future east–west connector shown in town plans.

Developer presentation and permits
Mike Griffin of Griffin Brothers/Greenway said the company operates the North Meck site as a construction-and-demolition (C&D) landfill and a material-recovery facility (MRF). Griffin said state and federal permitting for the stream move (Clean Water Act 401/404 processes) is in progress; he said DEQ had advanced the stream relocation permits and that proposed mitigation credit purchases are part of that federal/state approval process. Greenway said the plan would keep development inside the existing landfill footprint and that the new stream alignment would skirt the filled area rather than run through it.

Access, Holbrooks Road and alternatives
A recurring concern from staff and commissioners was truck traffic on Holbrooks Road, a residential street. Preece reminded the board that the 2016 approvals included a condition requiring the applicant to secure alternate access off a nonresidential route by a set date and for the town to review Holbrooks’ roadway condition periodically. Griffin said Greenway has been paying for road repair and related improvements for years, has funded neighborhood programs and is pursuing the Veerhoff/Conversation Drive connection through adjacent development so trucks could ultimately be routed off Holbrooks; he said the company would move the site’s scale house and primary truck access when that alternate access is available and would restrict Holbrooks use to emergency access. Griffin said the applicant will continue to work with the town and with the developer of a proposed Commerce Station project south of the landfill to secure that off-Holbrooks access.

Environmental controls and monitoring
Greenway and staff emphasized that groundwater and surface water monitoring is regulated by DEQ and occurs regularly; Griffin said the Piedmont’s slow groundwater flow means contaminants move slowly and noted that prior remediation steps taken at the site have brought one historical constituent to below regulatory standards. Griffin said the company would voluntarily cap closed cells with synthetic caps and would use a geomembrane liner and leachate collection for the proposed infill cell. Preece said those technical controls and any risk to neighboring properties will be central to the upcoming special-use-permit technical review.

Community concerns
Several residents raised concerns during public comment and in the hearing. Rachel Zwift, a Pottstown resident, told the board she believes community outreach about the landfill expansion was insufficient and asked how streams, groundwater and air (methane/dust) would be protected. BJ Caldwell, who lives on Holbrooks Road, asked the town to prioritize sidewalks and safety measures for Holbrooks and nearby streets and reiterated long-standing neighborhood concerns about truck traffic and degradation of residential character.

Next steps and staff recommendation
Preece told the board that the rezoning application is the first of two steps and that application R25-09 should not be approved without resolution of several outstanding design and buffer questions; staff is reserving final recommendation pending the special-use-permit submission, which Preece said is tentatively scheduled for an October hearing. Preece and Griffin said they will continue negotiating buffer locations, fence lines, stream-mitigation details and a timeline for moving primary truck access as redevelopment to the south advances. The board took no vote on the rezoning at the hearing and will consider the special-use permit and any supplemental technical materials at the forthcoming October meeting.