Asphalt plant faces early opposition
Little is known about plans for operation near county land

BY GEOFFREY GRAYBEAL ggraybeal@heraldsun.com; 918-1033
Chapel Hill Herald
Monday, February 10, 2003

HILLSBOROUGH - Opposition is forming to an asphalt plant proposed for about five acres on Valley Forge Road, although little is known about the operation.

The land at 410 Valley Forge Road is owned by Atlanta-based Georgia Pacific. However, Doug Robins of 7200 Blalock Road in Bahama filed the application for a site plan permit.

Robins on Friday referred questions about the plant to his attorney, Will Anderson. Anderson was out of the office and could not be reached for comment.

All site plans go before the town's five-member Board of Adjustment, said Hillsborough Planning Director Margaret Hauth.

The Board of Adjustment, which meets Wednesday, can approve the site plan for any "manufacturing and processing operation where no adverse impact occurs beyond the zoning district."

The land is zoned "general industrial," which does not allow retail or office components.

Hauth said she had received lots of phone calls about the plant, mostly in opposition. She expects a large turnout Wednesday.

"It'll be interesting," Hauth said. "It'll be an interesting meeting. Everybody has a picture in their mind of an asphalt plant."

Hauth said she does not know how many trucks per day would be at the facility, how much asphalt would be produced or what type of technology would be used.

"I don't really know what it's going to be like," she said.

The Unicon concrete company now operates a concrete plant across from the proposed asphalt plant site. The concrete plant has been around five years, but few know it is there, Hauth said.

Other neighbors include an insurance agency, a food distributor, a cabinetmaker, a water bottler and a propane plant.

The proposed plant is located about 100 feet away from Orange Enterprises, a nonprofit organization that provides vocational jobs and training to residents with disabilities.

Orange County owns the land that Orange Enterprises is on.

The County Commissioners were first notified of the asphalt plant at Tuesday's meeting.

"That's really unbelievable," said Commissioner Steve Halkiotis. "I've got to say it again. That's really unbelievable."

Halkiotis noted a few concerns.

"These plants smell, do they not?" he said. "They're hazardous, are they not?"

Halkiotis said the county should voice opposition.

"We have to object," he said. "We object in a strong way too, not just object, but in a strongly worded fashion, we object."

The board unanimously approved a motion to have county staff examine the issue further and to write an opposition letter.

"It's astonishing really," said Margaret Brown, commissioners' chairwoman. "I'm kind of surprised the citizens of Hillsborough would want that type of permitted use in their community."

Craig Benedict, the county's planning director, said the county would ask for one of three actions - postpone the Feb. 12 hearing, delay a decision until subsequent meetings or deny the application based on preliminary evidence.

In addition to its own letter, the county planned to submit an opposition letter from Orange Enterprises Executive Director Kathy Bryan.

Benedict said the county has concerns about potential stormwater runoff and damage to Cates Creek, traffic, noise and air quality.

The application does not contain information about dust particles and fumes.

"There's other elements of it we'll include in the letter," Benedict said. "We can even further our testimony given more time."

According to the site plan application, the plant would enlist four full-time employees.

The applicant contends that a permanent retention pond would ensure safe storm runoff from the plant to Cates Creek.

An existing landscape of dense eastern red cedars would be preserved along the proposed plant's southeast boundaries, the application states. Plans also call for a bag filter house with 420 filter bags to remove dust from crushed rock.

The state Division of Environmental Management issues air quality permits only after a site plan is approved.

Notices were sent to about 20 nearby properties in a 500-foot area, Hauth said.

Hauth said any letters she received would be read at the public hearing.

So far, Hauth has received one opposition letter from Selma resident Charles Hester, who owns the Valley Forge Road building where the Employment Security Commission is located.

The process is quasi-judicial, based on factual evidence. Sworn testimony is taken from those who speak.

Jim King, chairman of the Board of Adjustments, was not immediately available for comment.