Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board holds public hearing on Shotwell Landfill amendment; commissioners vote to consider DEQ permit amendment
Summary
After extensive public comment, the board voted to move forward with consideration of Shotwell Landfill’s request to pursue a substantial DEQ permit amendment for about 11.25 acres of additional landfill area; the vote advances a multi‑step process requiring further county special‑use review and state permitting.
The Board of Commissioners held a public hearing June 16 on Shotwell Landfill, Inc.’s request to amend its Wake County franchise by seeking a state DEQ substantial permit amendment for approximately 11.25 acres of additional permitted fill area within the facility’s existing property. Following extensive public comment both for and against the change, the board voted to proceed to consider the franchise amendment and to allow the permit amendment process to move forward.
Speakers at the hearing included local residents and conservation advocates who urged denial or additional mitigation. Leanne Hammerbacher of the Triangle Land Conservancy asked the board to deny the amendment, saying incremental expansions “are having a negative impact on the conservation values” of the Shotwell/Marks Creek area and noting nearby conserved lands. Longtime property owner Patricia McCullers described historic and cultural resources she said would be affected; other residents cited truck traffic, dust and road safety on Poole/Smithfield roads.
Representatives of the facility’s current operator, Meridian Waste, and its consultants described the request as a modest redesign within the currently permitted 135.5 acres that would extend the facility’s remaining capacity by an estimated four to five years at current intake rates (Meridian estimated about 4–5 years). Meridian representatives and their engineer said the proposal is a horizontal redesign largely within already disturbed or previously permitted areas; they noted erosion controls, groundwater monitoring and other state regulatory safeguards. Meridian also described an on‑site materials recovery facility (MRF) that processes construction and demolition (C&D) debris and said increasing capacity at Shotwell will support regional construction recycling and disposal needs.
Solid Waste Division staff explained the county process and noted that the franchise amendment triggers a DEQ permit amendment and would also require a Wake County Board of Adjustment special‑use permit if county action proceeds. County staff also noted the item does not change hours, annual tonnage limits, or the list of counties from which the facility may accept waste; it concerns additional permitted acreage within the existing property lines.
After public comment, Vice Chair Myles moved and Commissioner Jackson seconded a motion that the board hold the public hearing and consider the Shotwell Landfill, Inc. request to allow pursuit of the DEQ permit amendment. The motion passed unanimously. County staff and the applicant noted next steps: the board’s consideration now advances the franchise amendment process to a second hearing and, if approved by the board, to a Board of Adjustment review and a DEQ permitting process.
The board did not grant the final franchise amendment at this hearing; the vote authorizes county staff and the applicant to pursue required regulatory steps and return to the board as required.
