BY MELODIE N. MARTIN
A proposed 191-acre dump off Interstate 64 in New Kent County is expected to
receive about 6 million pounds of trash a day, including some from outside the
state.
A new landfill hasn't been created in the Richmond region for 15 years. The
proposed dump near Talleysville would be about 7 miles from the Henrico County
line. An application to rezone 279 acres of land for the site was filed
yesterday in New Kent.
The developer says the landfill would accept trash from Virginia, Washington,
Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. About 100
trucks, most using Interstate 64, would visit the site daily, according to
estimates.
Some neighboring residents wonder how the dump would affect their property
values and the county's image.
"I can't imagine wanting to watch the horse race [at Colonial Downs] and
smell the garbage dump less than 2 miles or so away," said New Kent resident
Melvin Belcher, who lives in a new home near the site.
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But the developer of the site, SPF Investments LLC of Richmond, disagrees.
The developer says the $40 million project would preserve the area's rural
character and provide economic benefits without putting a strain on county
services and infrastructure.
The project, named Schiminoe Meadows, would be located on a vacant 679-acre
site southeast of I-64 and state Route 106. Only 191 acres would be actively
used as a landfill.
The site is less than 2 miles from a planned upscale residential development.
The Farms of New Kent would feature vineyards, a winery, golf course, polo
ground and 2,400 age-restricted and traditional homes. The Farms will be
considered during a public hearing within the next month.
Jay Smith, a spokesman for the project, said the dump would provide an
average of $4.5 million in annual payments to the county during the landfill's
20-year life.
"We really are looking at this as a long-term thing," Smith said. He added
that the developer would monitor the dump for 30 years after it eventually
closed and restore a natural setting for outdoor recreation.
Plans also include facilities for recycling, tire chipping and converting
landfill gas into electric and thermal energy. It would have 35 on-site
employees.
The developer is offering to share revenue with the county from the energy
generating and recycling operations and to dispose of local residents' garbage
for free. The county pays $508,000 a year to dispose of its residents'
garbage.
The developer is also offering $45,000 annually for a county compliance
officer to monitor the site and $25,000 a year for environmental
scholarships.
The facility would not accept hazardous materials, including medical waste,
or sludge, Smith said. In addition to collecting gases for producing
electricity, measures to reduce odors would include covering garbage daily with
6 inches of topsoil and misting it with an odor-neutralizing chemical.
A landfill in neighboring Charles City County opened in 1990 amid heated
debate about the state's importation of out-of-state waste. About 2,000 tons, or
4 million pounds, of garbage is trucked to the site daily, some of it from
outside the state, according to the Charles City landfill's operator.