Mixed-use development is the mantra of the New Urbanism movement. But a commercial waste transfer station is not part of the mix most planners have in mind. And that is exactly what is being proposed in Pawtucket.
For years, an investment group has been trying to build an industrial-size waste business on the west side of downtown. The 8-acre site abuts a number of existing or planned residential properties, including the Bayley Street Lofts, as well as the historic Mineral Spring Cemetery.
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The site is currently zoned for manufacturing, befitting its history. But Pawtucket has left that past behind and has embraced a vision – at least in certain neighborhoods – that builds on Rhode Island’s creative heritage, turning mills into artists’ studios and lofts.
To put a trash processing facility there does not make sense, let alone one that would handle up to 624,000 tons of trash per year – almost as much as the Johnston landfill.
Because the city mistakenly issued a certificate of zoning compliance in 2003, the company that wants to build the dump – Pawtucket Transfer Operations – has traction in its legal battle. Most recently, Superior Court Justice Stephen J. Fortunato ruled that the city could not erect hurdles to the development after the fact.
The city plans to appeal, and if that fails, there is still hope that the Planning Commission or the R.I. Department of Environmental Management will bring the proposal to a halt.
We would normally support a legitimate business that promises to employ 30 people, but in this case, the development is simply not appropriate.
