According to press releases, the Synagro plant represents a "17 year effort by Green Knight Economic Development Corporation to make use of waste heat at the Green Knight Energy Center." In fact, the plan lasted less than a few years, because it was never intended to locate a consumer of the waste heat on Waste Management property - the plan was to miraculously find a consumer who would locate on one or more parcels on the land now owned by Techo Bloc. When Techo Bloc announced it had no use for the Energy Center's waste heat, and that it wanted all three parcels, the plan died. Now we are asked to believe Green Knight has been working diligently since 2000 to find the right customer for the waste heat, and that shoehorning a biosolids plant into 1) where it isn't permitted or 2) where it is permitted but only 30% of the required space is available is the culmination of that hard work, which is a load of hooey.
For Synagro's part, they misrepresented at the November 2016 Planning Commission meeting that their proposed plant "meets all zoning requirements", yet oops, it isn't even a permitted use where they proposed it. They are supposed to have professional engineers that check minor details like that.
In March, Synagro announced in a press release that they submitted a "building permit" which isn't even possible, for a new site where their use is permitted (congratulations for getting that part right), and that after a "three month ... comprehensive redesign" they have arrived at a new application in "that fully complies with the zoning officer's determination" the first plan was a non-starter. That may be true, but the press release omits the fact that the new design deviates significantly from several other requirements of the Ordinance. This is brought to Synagro's attention in the township's 16-page response to the new application. It requires approximately 13 variances, most of them use variances - not minor dimensional shortcomings. And Synagro does not have the hardships to merit the variances.
On April 19, Synagro announced it will table both Plan A (October/December site plan for first site) and Plan B (March site plan for alternate site). What will they do next? Fill in the quarry hole on the alternate site? That will solve some issues, but they still have a major problem - access. The Ordinance requires access to this plant be via an Arterial or Collector road. Neither plan satisfies this requirement, and furthermore the new and improved plan requires use of Plainfield Township property as an access drive to access the site. Synagro's site plan doesn't even show that Plainfield Township owns this land.- a deficiency (label added by blogger showing owner and tax parcel). Another crappy plan from a company that specializes in crap.
A road runs through it -Synagro rep Jim Hecht stated April 5 that he is unaware that the yellow shaded area is to be returned to Plainfield Township's use when the landfill closes, and Synagro plans to continue operating after that. Note Synagro's trucks must use township property. Bummer, dudely.
No one except Waste Management, Green Knight and Synagro wants this plant in Plainfield Township. There is no site that satisfies the Ordinance. Pack it in and descend on another community where you are wanted - if you can find one.
Synagro announces it will not appear at May 2017 Planning Commission meeting for review of its two Site Plans
No comments:
Post a Comment