Commission still has opportunity to approve

The Polk County Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously to deny an application to move property next door to the Grady Road Landfill from A-1 to I-2. It was the latest step needed to start the process of an expansion for limiting the increase in height and spread out remaining airspace over at least 70 acres of the land, leaving the rest for a barrier space and stockpiles of dirt.

Board members denied the application after hearing presentations for and against the move on property west of the landfill, which sought to rezone the entire 215 acres for industrial use. The property is already being used by GFL Environmental for dirt storage.

Though the county voted in August to approve beginning the process of moving toward the shift from allowing continued vertical growth of the landfill, and instead spread it out over the existing acreage next door. The process requires a change to the zoning, then permit change requests sent off to state environmental officials who permit the operations at the landfill.

The issue isn’t over yet. Commissioners can still bring up the request for the zoning change even with the denial of the Planning and Zoning Board. County administration expects the request to come up for a vote at the County Commission’s next monthly session, set for October 4 at 7 p.m. Some discussions over that vote and public comment are heard during the work session on Monday, October 3 starting at 5:15 p.m.

Polk Today previously sought comment from GFL Environmental about the project, but never got a response.

The Grady Road Landfill’s current permit allows for vertical growth, but no room exists for spreading the trash coming into Polk County from around the region to move horizontally. As of August, the landfill has just over 14 1/2 years left of space. When the county got into court proceedings with Waste Industries (former owner, bought by GFL Environmental) over operations at the landfill, the Grady Road facility still had 26 years remaining.

The county has stated the project is being sought in cooperation with GFL Environmental to prevent future vertical growth of the facility and that they intend to only stick to the 75 acres of the next door property for the horizontal shift of trash. It doesn’t mean that if the waste continues to pile up at faster rates the county and GFL couldn’t seek another change to the permit and allow for additional acreage to be utilized, or more vertical growth over the entire facility.

Check back for additional updates as they become available.