Proposed Waste Station 'Atrocity' Being Fought By Residents

LOGANVILLE, GA -- Loganville residents are vowing to fight a new, 50 acre-solid waste transfer station that is proposed to go into their neighborhoods. Located in eastern Gwinnett County, the location would take trash from local households and store it before relocating it to a landfill.

Proposals for the transfer site were filed earlier this month with Gwinnett County and the state.

The site proposed for the Ozora Road transfer station, at 875 Ozora Road, near Loganville, is mostly a lot of trees and undeveloped land. On one side, there's a quarry operated by Vulcan Materials. One side is near Tribble Mill Park and just north of Gwinnett’s border with Walton County. Then, the northern and western borders of the proposed site will abutt residential neighborhoods.

Larry Rose is a resident and the Home Owners Association president of Kensington Forest, the neighborhood directly adjacent the property proposed for the transfer station.

"This change will cause an increase in mid-size and semi traffic on an already very busy Ozora Rd, where there are several residences, churches and schools currently located," he said. "There are also several environmental nuisances associated with an operation of this nature such as foul odor, heavy equipment noise and increased presence of birds, rodents and other pests. We all knew Vulcan Materials was nearby when we purchased our properties but nobody expected the property in our backyards to be converted to heavy industrial and especially not a waste transfer facility."

Concerned residents have developed a Facebook page to communicate information to as many impacted people in the area as possible.

The Facebook group has attracted almost 1,500 members in less than a week. The group has also set up a GoFundMe page and a change.org petition. As of Monday afternoon, the petition has 1,991 signatures.

"We have many very passionate neighbors who will volunteer their time, energy and resources to do what we can to prevent this atrocity from happening," Rose said.

"This property is directly adjacent to three of our cul de sacs. The only industrial business in this area is Vulcan Material, and they were here before most of the homes. We chose this neighborhood because of its safety, beauty, peacefulness and investment potential. Now all of those are severely at risk. Ozora Rd is a busy two lane road lined with homes, churches and schools, adding more large trucks increases the safety risk to our community. The location also doesn’t make sense from a logistical standpoint, there are four transfer stations in Gwinnett County today, one is 8.1 miles and the other is 8.4 miles from this proposed location," Rose said.

Jeff Allen has been a resident of this community since 1996.

"I have real concerns," he said. "When the Gwinnett Trash Plan was being discussed it was highlighted that a unified plan would mean few garbage trucks on the roads and in neighborhoods. If this rezoning succeeds, there will be more trucks and large trucks coming to and from the proposed solid waste transfer station putting a strain on an already heavily traveled road.

"More trucks also mean more opportunity for spills and leakages from trucks like photos from my neighborhood over the last two years. The blue paint leakage was seen all over our area and still is on the road today."

Scott Miller and his wife, Samara, live a quarter-mile from the proposed STS, at 926 Ozora Road.

"I've been here nine years. Ozora has many neighborhoods, homes with acreage, a fire station, a police station being built, two schools, four churches, Bay Creek Park and access to Tribble Mill, only the rock quarry doesn't fit in. While we are concerned about property values decreasing, shouldn't the county be as well? Of all the properties I mentioned, only the hundereds of homes and rock quarry are taxable, and an STS won't provide anywhere close to decrease in tax revenue it will cause," said Miller.

Kensington Forest resident Nicole Cummings, said in an email, "My husband and I are life long residents of Gwinnett County. We purchased our current home about four years ago. We did our due diligence and were aware that the property behind us was zoned residential. That was important to us because we planned to stay in this home a long time. Our property backs up directly to the proposed waste sorting facility. Their plan calls for a 100-foot buffer; that is 100 feet from where our children play, so close to our home.

"If anyone thinks that we will not be negatively impacted they could not be more wrong. The increased noise, smell, traffic, decreased property values are bad enough. But add in the additional environmental effects and the potential health risks from decomposing trash and chemicals used at the facility, and it is a disaster waiting to happen. I am so disappointed in those who have proposed this. To change a residential area from R100 to M2 is drastic. They clearly do not have the families or the community as a whole as a priority."

Melissa Payne is a resident who lives in Chandler Plantation, approximately a half mile away from the proposed transfer station.

"I am opposed to the transfer station for many reasons," she emailed Patch. "The traffic on Ozora road is already heavy. My children attend both Cooper elementary and McConnell Middle School, the additional trucks will cause delays for school buses. Not to mention the odor that will come from the facility. Our home values will decline. I can go on and on. I say NO to the waste transfer station on Ozora road."

Dean Bryant lives on Tribble Mill Cove, about one mile from site, on corner of Chandler and Ozora.

"I think it goes without saying, it's not difficult to understand why anyone would be completely against rezoning this residential area for the purpose of a garbage transfer station. You would be hard-pressed to find one resident that supports it.

"We all pretty much found out about this ridiculous proposal on Tuesday, May 14. By the next evening, we had 1,100 people joined up under the Stop the waste transfer station on Ozora Road! Facebook page. We raised over $1,000 in that same time under our GoFundMe page for fliers, banners, and legal resources. The same 1,100 people signed our petition to the commissioners on Change.org. That was in just 24 hours! All three continue to grow each day as the word spreads.

"Increased heavy traffic, potential pollution to a beautiful peaceful creek that runs through that property, the stench from a giant rotting garbage pile on a hot Atlanta summer day are just a few obvious reasons I oppose it. If we allow this property to be rezoned, it opens up Pandora's box for that entire area," continued Bryant.

"We have thousands of residents on board opposing this rezoning against two people who don't live near this area. I think it's perfect timing with the finale of a popular cable series this past weekend," he said in an email.

"Applicants Darron Britt and Buddy Ray Johnson, along with the Commissioners of Gwinnett need to brace themselves, a peaceful, yet very determined eastern Gwinnett is coming on July 2!"

A hearing has been scheduled for July 2, in front of the Gwinnett County Planning Commission. The people who want the rezoning will have ten minutes to present their side and those who are opposed will have ten minutes to present their side.

The commission will review and vote to recommend or not recommend the rezoning and special uses permit. Ultimately, it’s the county commissioner board vote on July 23 that will determine the outcome.

SEE ALSO: Commissioner Candidate Comments On Proposed Waste Station