ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday voted thumbs-down on the proposed expansion of the Bethlehem Landfill.
The commission reviewed a proposed zoning ordinance amendment by Lower Saucon Township Council regarding the controversial landfill expansion issue.
- Lehigh Valley Planning Commission voted against a rezoning application for the proposed expansion of Bethlehem Landfill
- The expansion does not align with FutureLV, the region's plan for the future
- A public hearing is set for Aug. 30
The commission voted to advise the township council not to enact an amendment allowing for the rezoning of 848.47 acres, an increase from the original proposed 275.5-acre expansion, from Rural Agricultural to Light Industrial near Applebutter Road.
As part of the modified ordinance, waste disposal would be allowed on the land as permitted use.
“It is also not our problem that the landfill owners purchased land … that was not zoned for landfills."Priscilla deLeon, Lower Saucon Township council member
The planning commission noted the rezoning amendment is inconsistent with FutureLV: The Regional Plan, which establishes goals, policies and action designed to carry the region through 2045 and beyond.
The amendment also doesn't align with the township’s own comprehensive plan, the commission said.
Voting in favor of the rezoning at that meeting were council President Jason Banonis and councilmen Thomas Carocci and Mark Inglis. Council Vice President Sandra Yerger and Councilwoman Priscilla deLeon voted against it.
Hotly contested topic
The landfill expansion has been a hotly contested topic since Dec. 21, when the township council at a five-hour meeting voted 3-2 to approve zoning changes.
During Thursday night’s meeting, deLeon addressed the commission, calling the council’s move to rezone the landfill “a devastating abuse of land entrusted to council by the voters.”
“It is also not our problem that the landfill owners purchased land … that was not zoned for landfills — or if they did, they purchased it anyway.”Lower Saucon Township Councilwoman Pricilla deLeon
“It is also not our problem that the landfill owners purchased land … that was not zoned for landfills — or if they did, they purchased it anyway,” deLeon said.
The planning commission said the amendments do not protect the health, safety and welfare of the public by allowing an expansion of the landfill.
Landfills and waste disposal facilities are high-intensity land uses that have significant social and environmental impacts, and impacts to residents and/or the environment resulting from expanding and increasing operation must be cautiously scrutinized and mitigated, the planning commission concluded.
A public hearing on the issue will be held at 9 a.m. Aug. 30 at Se Wy Co Social Hall, Route 378, Bethlehem.
