West Chicago waste transfer station opponents question location, zoning
As the second week of hearings ended for a proposed West Chicago waste transfer station, opposition experts continued to question the location and zoning issues.
A waste engineer, appraiser and planning expert testified Thursday on behalf of Protect West Chicago, the main group opposing the plan from Lakeshore Recycling Systems to build DuPage County's second waste transfer station on its 28-acre parcel at 1655 Powis Road.
Appraiser Kurt Kielisch refuted testimony from an LRS expert about land use compatibility and the impact on surrounding property values if the station is built. Kielisch said the mere perception of odors, an increased number of insects on the site and other factors could be enough to decrease land values.
"Though they may have the engineering that they do not cause the odor, for example, the perception that they do tends to drive value," he said.
During cross-examination, LRS attorney George Mueller stressed the letters LRS has received from surrounding businesses supporting the waste transfer station.
Land use compatibility is one of nine criteria dictated by the Illinois Environmental Protection Act that LRS officials must satisfy to win approval from the city council.
The hearings continue next week to allow for more testimony and public comments. When the hearings conclude, the city council has until the middle of March to approve or deny the proposal.
Nine people spoke during the public comment portion of Thursday's hearing, all in support of the LRS proposal.
"We advocate for aggressive monitoring to ensure that LRS is compliant with commitments made in this process," said Connie Schmidt, chair of the River Prairie Group of the Sierra Club environmental organization. "With careful consideration, the River Prairie Group of the Sierra Club has determined that we will not oppose this permit request and, in fact, support it."
Waste engineer John Lardner testified on behalf of PWC, saying DuPage County's Solid Waste Management Plans have encouraged transfer stations spread throughout the county to reduce truck mileage. The county's only waste transfer station is located about a quarter mile north of the proposed station.
Lardner also said county plans have discussed growing waste needs in the southern portion of the county. Mueller, however, noted the latest plan in 2017 makes no mention of southern DuPage as a desired location for additional transfer stations.
Joe Abel, a former DuPage County planning director, testified the railroad tracks on the eastern border of the LRS property are zoned residential, and waste stations are prohibited within 1,000 feet of residential zones.
City attorney Jerry Callaghan countered that the tracks automatically were zoned residential when the city annexed the property, and there's been no intent to develop the area. Mueller said not only would the railroad line need to be vacated, but the neighboring farmland would need to be rezoned from agriculture for development to occur.