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Jefferson County commission denies planned-industrial rezoning for proposed waste transfer station
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-3 to deny PI25021, a request to rezone an underused parcel on Old State Road 21 to a Planned Industrial district to allow a waste transfer station. The decision followed staff recommendations with conditions and extensive public opposition over odor, water and traffic impacts.
The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission on a 5-3 vote denied PI25021, a request to rezone roughly 8.5 acres on Old State Road 21 from Planned Commercial to Planned Industrial to allow a waste transfer station and related industrial uses.
Staff told the commission the property — previously home to Henry Trucking — has been used for heavy-intensity activity in the past and that a proposed development plan included a 100-by-60-foot primary building for trash consolidation, phased additional structures, and stormwater controls. The staff recommendation was to approve the rezoning with conditions while denying one requested modification relating to driveway corner clearance.
The petitioner's representative, Kevin Duggins, described the operation as a regulated transfer station and said state and federal regulators would be involved in operational oversight. “These transfer stations have a lot of rules and regulations,” Duggins said. He added the operation would keep material inside a metal building, use containment and treatment systems, and pursue measures such as misting to control odors.
Residents and business owners near the site urged denial. Neighbor Dave Becker said persistent dust and truck traffic were already problems where clean‑fill operations took place and warned of potential contamination: “We own property very close to that. ... Everybody around us is on a well. And I don't want to have to drill in the well or find out it's polluted.” Other opponents raised concerns about odors, rodents and vectors, stormwater runoff, and declines in property value.
Commissioners debated competing concerns. Staff and one commissioner outlined a set of operational restrictions they said could be added if the rezoning were approved — including requiring a push‑type tipping pit rather than a surge pit, daily removal of waste so no material remains on site overnight, concrete tipping floors with drains and pumps routed to the county treatment system, frequent cleaning, vector control, and installation of misting/deodorizing systems. Commissioners also discussed limiting hours and days of operation to reduce neighborhood impacts.
Despite those potential conditions, Commissioner Jeffrey Sprawl moved to deny the rezoning; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Mike Siebert and carried 5-3. The commission did not adopt the staff‑recommended conditions because it declined the rezoning request.
Because the commission action was to deny the zone change, there will be no development plan review or site‑level permits for the proposed transfer station under PI25021. The commission record includes public exhibits submitted by opponents, including an EPA guidance manual on transfer stations that residents asked be entered into the record.
The commission’s action means the property remains subject to its existing zoning and any future applicant seeking industrial operations would need either a different zoning application or a new proposal.
