By Jack
Sweeney
As many of you are aware, Waste
Connections is a private company that has a “franchise” agreement with the county to collect our residential and commercial solid waste and recyclable material. In order to accommodate our county’s projected growth, Waste Connections will need to approximately double the capacity it is currently able to process at its current facility near Highway 49 in Diamond Springs. A few months ago, El Dorado County received a proposal from Waste Connections to relocate the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) from the current site to a 17.9 acre vacant site on Industrial Way. It is not a public project, it is a private one.
As with any private development proposal, it is the county’s responsibility, in fact we are obligated by law, to consider the impacts, for the good or the bad, and either approve or disapprove the project. You don’t have to be a professionally trained planner to recognize that this project has potentially significant impacts. As such, the county is requiring an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) so we can understand the environmental impacts. In addition, although the proposed site is zoned for industrial use, this particular use will require a Special Use Permit which can regulate such things as hours of operation and other potential impacts.
Many have already questioned the wisdom of citing the MRF on Industrial Way due to concerns about odor, noise, traffic and other environmental issues. Others have inquired about alternative locations to the Industrial Way site. I applaud the public discussion and encourage more of it. In fact, questioning the appropriateness of the Industrial Way site and other alternatives is exactly what the county will formally be doing through environmental documentation, collection of public comment, and public hearings.
Let me be absolutely clear that this proposal is far from a “done deal” despite misinformed characterizations to the contrary. There will be public hearings at both the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors and I encourage the community to come and be heard.
Part of making an informed decision requires understanding of how this particular proposal fits into the larger vision for El Dorado County and the Missouri Flat corridor. At our meeting on March 11, the Board of Supervisors heard a presentation about one such larger vision. If the MRF is successfully relocated, developers hope to bring 450,000 square feet of new retail space to the site currently occupied by the MRF and adjacent properties. In conjunction, the county will consider building a new road connecting Missouri Flat and Highway 49. Actually the idea for the road is not new. The need for a new road has been in the Missouri Flat Master Circulation and Financing Plan for over ten years. Like the MRF proposal however, the county has not yet received a complete application on the retail project. Again, I can assure you that all of these projects will require extensive, formal analysis and public participation.
State law tells the county what public notifications are necessary for projects like this. El Dorado County will not only meet but exceed those requirements. Those of you who know me know I’m a little old fashioned. I intend to convene a community meeting, or a series of community meetings, or whatever else it will take to ensure that the public is fully informed. Although I can’t guarantee that we will all see eye to eye, I can guarantee that everyone will have ample opportunity to help make the best decision for our community.
As I have hoped to make clear here, the county is still in the information gathering stages. When the information is complete as prescribed by state and county law everything will be publicly available. I think we can reasonably expect the first Draft Environmental Impact Report on the MRF development sometime this summer. Until then, misinformation serves nobody. It complicates community decision-making and taken in part, would only be deceptive or confusing.
Supervisor Jack Sweeney represents District 3 on the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors.
