Township Residents Upset About Landfill Rezoning Request

Some residents of Lower Saucon Township's Steel City section feel they get short shrift when township officials evaluate quality of life issues, such as traffic generated by , and they told members of the township planning commission as much on May 24.

Several dozen residents packed the meeting, at which the five-member planning commission heard opening arguments for and against the rezoning of land adjacent to the current landfill property; an action that could undeniably pave the way for .

The adjacent properties along or near Applebutter Road would be rezoned from rural agricultural and light manufacturing to a light industrial classification if amendments to the township's zoning ordinance are approved.

But that's exactly what numerous residents told the planning commission they don't want to see happen.

Lewis Avenue resident Heather Viscito said she and her husband Rocco Viscito Jr. bought their property on the edge of Steel City because they like the area and the privacy it affords them.

Much of that privacy will be lost if a rezoning is approved and the landfill is allowed to expand.

"Just as they're asking you to rezone it, I'm asking you not to rezone it," Viscito said, to loud applause.

Viscito also told the commission that when , "my husband was the one who got the cops up there" on all-terrain vehicles.

She questioned what access to the area would be like if the landfill is ultimately allowed to expand to the west of where it is currently located.

Guy Lesser, a Skyline Drive resident who is also the Lower Saucon Township Chief of Police, said he and his wife carefully evaluated the area before deciding to purchase 3.5 acres of land a number of years ago.

Speaking as a resident, Lesser said family members later purchased adjoining parcels to create an approximately 10-acre compound.

"There's pasture and there's woods... It's loaded with wildlife," he said of the setting in which he lives, adding that he fears an expansion of the landfill in the direction of his home will result in the loss of that prized pastoral beauty.

Donna Louder, a Johnston Avenue, Steel City resident, was among the most vocal speakers who took to the podium at the meeting, and at one point directly approached IESI Bethlehem Landfill Manager Sam Donato in order to speak to him face to face.

That move prompted an objection from landfill attorney Maryanne Starr Garber, of Land Air Water Legal Solutions LLC, and Louder backed away.

When planning commission member Sandra Yerger said she is an infrequent visitor to Steel City, Louder said from the audience, "Come on over! We're paying your taxes."

Later, Yerger clarified her statement by saying she has been to Steel City many times, but lacks familiarity about what parts of the landfill are currently visible from various points within the village.

"I have friends in Steel City," she said. "I'm trying to be honest."

Louder said the sight of garbage-laden tractor-trailers from New York and New Jersey lined up along Shimersville Road is a daily visual reminder of the landfill's existence for Steel City residents, since Shimersville is the primary route in and out of the neighborhood.

A lifelong Steel City resident, Louder also told planning commission members that many homeowners "have septic systems that are failing."

According to resident Matt McClarin, that could become a source for greater concern if the land adjacent to Steel City is rezoned and the landfill wins approval for its expansion, which would mean blasting will occur in the area.

McClarin contended at a previous meeting that blasting related to an earlier expansion project by the landfill resulted in at least one private well being cracked.

And he is concerned about the impact the proposed western expansion will have on property values, he said, particularly if the height of the landfill increases, making it more visible from locations throughout Steel City.

The expansion would effectively put the landfill "right over top all of our houses," McClarin said at the planning meeting.

"Does this board think that by having IESI operations visible from the top of the hill in Steel City, that it will not affect Steel City property values?" he asked.

Planning commission chairman John Landis appeared uncomfortable with that question, which he said he was unsure how to answer.

"Some of the questions are not going to be able to be answered," solicitor B. Lincoln "Linc" Treadwell interjected.

"We can't guarantee any kind of property value," Landis told McClarin.

Yerger told him, "I hear your concern about the view."

Following the meeting, McClarin circulated a map of the proposed rezoning area accompanied by a flyer that invites residents to attend a Saturday, June 2 meeting at the pavilion in order "to get organized to fight this."

"Lower Saucon Township is in the first stages of allowing this rezoning," the flyer states. "The outcome of this, if it does go through will be devastating to our property values and quality of life. The landfill will be seen, smelled and heard from all of our properties."

McClarin also asked anyone with family members or friends who are attorneys or real estate agents to invite them to come to the meeting.

Aside from their responses to questions, planning commission members said relatively little at the meeting, other than that they are in need of more time to look at the issues related to the proposed rezoning from all angles.

Yerger requested aerial photographs of the areas proposed for rezoning, and commission member Tom Maxfield said he wants to visit the Skyline Drive area.

The meeting concluded with a unanimous decision to table action on the zoning ordinance amendments until the June 28 planning commission meeting, which will be held at 7pm in Lower Saucon Town Hall.

"We're going to be back here discussing," Landis said. "We've made no decision yet."

Donato said at the meeting that the landfill currently has about 4.5 years of life left, meaning it will be at maximum capacity in that amount of time.

The proposed western expansion would extend the lifespan of the landfill by an estimated seven to 10 years, he said.

The township currently receives about a million dollars annually in income from the landfill, Maxfield confirmed at the meeting.