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Utica council approves amendment to Pine Tree Acres plan to extend landfill life
Summary
The City Council adopted a resolution supporting a county solid-waste plan amendment that would add about 236.5 acres to Pine Tree Acres landfill, allow a transfer station on-site and extend the facility's projected life. The 3-2 local vote mirrors a close Lennox Township approval and drew questions about traffic, cleanup and permitting steps.
Utica City Council voted to adopt a resolution supporting a proposed amendment to the county solid-waste plan to expand Pine Tree Acres landfill and extend its projected life.
Waste Management's Katie Gordon told council the amendment would add roughly 236.5 acres to the facility footprint, including about 135 acres of engineered disposal area, permit a recycling transfer station on Waste Management property and extend the landfill's remaining life by roughly 25 years. Gordon said the site is the only municipal solid-waste landfill in McCome County and that the amendment is intended to preserve long-term disposal capacity for local haulers.
Engineer and resident Steve Walters, present at the meeting, stressed the landfill's regional infrastructure role and noted the site's gas-to-electric operation currently powers the equivalent of about 19,000 homes, a large generation plant for the company.
Council discussion centered on competing capacity estimates and community impacts. Waste Management told council the site currently has an estimated five to seven years of remaining life, while the packet noted the facility's certified capacity is greater than 10 years; Gordon attributed the variation to projected receipts and changing forecasts. Council members asked about traffic, truck-tracking and litter; Waste Management said it plans rumble strips, road-cleaning, a potential truck-wash and coordination with the county on a possible traffic signal. Gordon also reiterated that, even if municipalities approve the plan amendment, the project must still go through the state permitting process before construction could begin.
Council noted public feedback from residents in Lennox Township and elsewhere; Walters and Gordon said Lennox Township approved the amendment on a 3-2 vote and that four municipalities and the county board had also passed it to date, with no denials reported. Councilmembers stressed the amendment still requires two-thirds approval across plan municipalities and separate state permitting. One councilmember said residents near the site had expressed strong concern about local impacts.
The Utica vote was recorded as: O'Donnell (no), Bakus (yes), Weaver (yes), Drent (no), Mayor Kendrino (yes), producing a 3-2 majority in favor. The council's support is one step in a multi-jurisdictional approval process; Waste Management reiterated that engineering, host-community agreements, and state (EGLE/Eagle referenced in packet) permitting remain future steps.
The resolution passed; next procedural steps include continued municipal votes across the county and subsequent state permitting before any expansion work could begin.
