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The battle over the future of the dump…err…Transfer Station down on 34th St and Stone Way continues. As background, the city is proposing to completely redo the transfer station to make it more environmentally sound and to reduce the impact on the neighborhood. Many neighbors, perhaps suspecting that this will simply lead to expanded use of the station, perhaps hoping that any change is a wedge to simply make it go away or perhaps hoping that by dragging out the process, better concessions can be extracted from the city, are insisting on a full Environmental Impact Study before work is begun.

Here, in its entirety, is Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin’s recent letter to the stakeholders on the topic:

Dear Friend,

Thank you for being involved in the process of reviewing the North Recycling and Disposal Station (NRDS).  As you may know, I have been following this process for several months at the request of NRDS Stakeholders and the Wallingford Community Council.

I know that it would be an understatement to say that many of you are unhappy about the decision of Seattle Public Utilities to not do a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  I*ve reviewed the list of stakeholder concerns that go beyond odor and traffic, and I received the petition with hundreds of signatures of Fremont and Wallingford residents calling on the City to perform a full EIS.  My staff and I have spoken with many of you personally, and I am very aware of the differing views on what should happen with the current facility site.

Though it may be difficult for the community and SPU to make substantive progress on the details of the site while the lawsuit is pending, it is my hope that the NRDS Stakeholder process will lay the groundwork for an open dialogue that

• Engenders trust between the utility and the community;
• Results in developing a plan for integrating the community vision into the City*s implementation plan for the zero waste strategy; and
• Helps the City Council identify actions that could be taken to ensure the health and safety of the surrounding neighborhoods.

In addition to reducing waste and improving our stewardship of the environment, there is already a clear commitment from SPU that this facility will be a marked improvement over the current facility in
managing traffic and containing odor and emissions.

My office will be watching closely how the utility handles your concerns as we go forward.  I am confident that SPU is engaging in good faith with the community.  However, I am drafting legislation to strengthen the standards for managing the visual and other impacts on adjacent areas of facilities like transfer stations and electrical substations.

I encourage the NRDS stakeholders to engage with SPU fully and with an open mind and hope that you will also contact my office with your concerns as the process unfolds.

Sincerely,

Council President Richard Conlin

We would be happy to print a response from local stakeholders.