A proposed expansion on an Auburn Hills landfill has some township officials concerned, but what Orion can do about the situation remains to be seen.
Trustee Neal Porter said the township was notified of Auburn Hills? plan by a state-level legal notice.
The landfill is just north of The Palace of Auburn Hills and runs up to Orion Township’s southern border, along Brown Road.
‘It’s right on our border and we’ve got to look out for our future development in that area,? Porter said, noting he plans to request space on the board’s Dec. 17 agenda for discussion on the matter.
Porter said the board can ask the state for a hearing, do nothing at all or come to a conclusion that they have no issue with the proposal. He said the plan calls for an additional 10 acres of landfill space and the upward expansion.
‘If you go 10 acres to the north, that puts you right on our border,? Porter noted.
The trustee noted that most of the development in that portion of the township is commercial, but said it still needs protection. The Orion Lakes Manufactured Home Park is across the street from the landfill and is the only residential development in the immediate area.
‘These landfills are an important issue,? Porter said. ‘And Orion Township is just in the middle of a lot of them.?
Both Porter and Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said the landfill has an odor, which is not necessarily how they want people to be welcomed into Orion.
Dywasuk said the City of Auburn Hills must answer to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and added that he’s not sure what, if any, say the township has in the matter.
‘We try to make a conscious effort, when it comes to development, to take our neighbors into consideration,? Dywasuk said, noting that he hopes their neighbors do, too.
The Eagle Valley Landfill, in Orion Township, is located close to the one in Auburn Hills, but Dywasuk said the DEQ treats each operation independently.
On the nearby corner of M-24 and Dutton, an old landfill has been turned into a brownfield. Construction on the Orion side of the street, by Dutton Corporate Centre, LLC, has already begun. The project is includes a hotel, a bank, and two restaurants.
The landfill on the property ceased operations in 1979, prior to the enactment of solid waste rules, and was never lined or capped, according to the City of Auburn Hills.
This resulted in a lawsuit, filed by the state attorney general’s office last year, against the Fons Company regarding contamination at the site.
Dywasuk said the 40-acres of township land on the site has been properly transformed into a brownfield and that Orion worked well with Auburn Hills, holding joint meetings on the matter.
Porter, and others on the current board, hope that relationship will help in dealing with the current issue.
He said he also has plans to bring an item on the Kern Road Landfill up for discussion at a later date, but said it required some more research on his part first.