Pike seeks rezoning to shield itself from new landfills
BY Malcolm Hall
The Canton Repository
PIKE TWP - Hoping to ward off any more landfills in this part of the county, officials want to rezone 860.9 acres of Pike Township's southern edge.
The plan calls for the area to be restricted to multifamily residential use. Currently, most of the targeted land, which sits south of Ullet Street SW and west of Ridge Avenue SW, is zoned for general industrial use. A small portion is zoned for two-family residential.
"The main reason is to prevent any other landfill from coming into Pike Township," said Linda Zaleski, who chairs the Zoning Commission.
PROTECTION FOR RESIDENTS
"I don't need to tell you the problems we have had with Countywide Landfill. Secondly, it is to give extra protection to the people who have built houses there. They have no protection from anything coming in."
To the west of the area sits Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility at 3619 Gracemont St. SW. An underground fire and offensive odors have plagued Countywide landfill, owned by Republic Services.
The Zoning Commission initiated this new rezoning effort. A large part of the area is owned by United States Ceramic Tile Co., which had mined the area for clay for its nearby production plant.
"We are trying to deter any (other) landfills from coming down," said Trustee Doug Baum.
With so much vacant former strip mine land also in the township, Pike officials are concerned the land could attract another landfill operator.
"The only place you can put a landfill is on land that is zoned industrial," Trustee Lee Strad said. "Somebody may look at that and say, 'Maybe we can put a landfill there.' This gives the township more control over the use of the land being residential rather than industrial."
The area lacks public water and sanitary sewer, so it probably would need utility infrastructure to attract an industrial plant.
But if the land is rezoned, and some party wants to locate an industry there, "they can come by and apply for a zoning change," Strad said. "We are not going to discourage business down here. The land is old strip mine. There is no sewer or water. It is not very attractive for an industrial park. The property could be attractive as a landfill."
The Canton Repository
PIKE TWP - Hoping to ward off any more landfills in this part of the county, officials want to rezone 860.9 acres of Pike Township's southern edge.
The plan calls for the area to be restricted to multifamily residential use. Currently, most of the targeted land, which sits south of Ullet Street SW and west of Ridge Avenue SW, is zoned for general industrial use. A small portion is zoned for two-family residential.
"The main reason is to prevent any other landfill from coming into Pike Township," said Linda Zaleski, who chairs the Zoning Commission.
PROTECTION FOR RESIDENTS
"I don't need to tell you the problems we have had with Countywide Landfill. Secondly, it is to give extra protection to the people who have built houses there. They have no protection from anything coming in."
To the west of the area sits Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility at 3619 Gracemont St. SW. An underground fire and offensive odors have plagued Countywide landfill, owned by Republic Services.
The Zoning Commission initiated this new rezoning effort. A large part of the area is owned by United States Ceramic Tile Co., which had mined the area for clay for its nearby production plant.
"We are trying to deter any (other) landfills from coming down," said Trustee Doug Baum.
With so much vacant former strip mine land also in the township, Pike officials are concerned the land could attract another landfill operator.
"The only place you can put a landfill is on land that is zoned industrial," Trustee Lee Strad said. "Somebody may look at that and say, 'Maybe we can put a landfill there.' This gives the township more control over the use of the land being residential rather than industrial."
The area lacks public water and sanitary sewer, so it probably would need utility infrastructure to attract an industrial plant.
But if the land is rezoned, and some party wants to locate an industry there, "they can come by and apply for a zoning change," Strad said. "We are not going to discourage business down here. The land is old strip mine. There is no sewer or water. It is not very attractive for an industrial park. The property could be attractive as a landfill."
