Planning Commission recommends approval of Ziegler Plumbing & Sewer resource recovery facility at 1671 Greenmount Parkway

The James City County Planning Commission voted unanimously Dec. 4 to recommend approval of SUP-24-0013, an application by Ziegler Plumbing & Sewer to build and operate a resource recovery facility at 1671 Greenmount Parkway.

Staff described the 96.36-acre site in the Greenmount Industrial District and told commissioners the applicant plans to develop about 5–7 acres for the facility. Jessica Lazarus, representing Ziegler, said the company has provided plumbing services for more than 55 years and operates an environmental services division that hauls grease, septic and pump-basin wastes. Lazarus said the proposed operation would separate incoming loads into liquid and solid fractions; liquids would be discharged to the regional sewer system under required industrial permits and solids would be combined with carbon-rich material and processed through enclosed aerated static-pile (ASP) composting to create a soil amendment for wholesale customers.

Applicant engineers described the process in more detail: incoming trucks would discharge into an enclosed building where trash and inorganics are screened; liquid effluent would be routed to storage tanks, treated with polymer and discharged under an industrial discharge permit; solids would be dewatered in interior bins and then moved to an enclosed ASP composting building with aeration and biofilters for odor control. Will Siebel(s) told the commission the operation would meet Virginia Department of Environmental Quality temperature/time standards (PFRP) to reduce pathogen and vector attraction.

Commissioners asked technical questions about stormwater controls, slope and potential runoff to Skiffs Creek; the site engineer from Geosyntec said the design uses a treatment-train approach with berms, dry swales, extended detention and potential biofilter enhancements and that final designs will be refined in coordination with county staff. Public commenters included Gary Massey, who urged approval and said his firm would be a customer for the compost product, and Fritz Burkhart, an adjoining property owner who expressed concerns about short notice, buffer setbacks, wetlands and possible runoff toward Skiffs Creek and the nearby Newport News water-supply infrastructure.

Following discussion and disclosures of brief applicant conversations with some commissioners, Commissioner Polster moved that the commission recommend approval of SUP-24-0013 with the conditions presented by staff. The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors.