On Friday, June 27, Benton County Planning staff announced they are now recommending approval for a Coffin Butte Landfill expansion, reversing their April opinion.
”After considering new information provided by the applicant, third party reviews of this new information, public comments, agency comments, and applicant responses to staff, public, and agency comments, staff recommends approval with conditions of the proposed Conditional Use application,” reads the Summary of Staff Conclusion of the Planning Division’s report.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Planning Commission will reconvene at 6 pm on July 8 for a public hearing. It will be held in the Holmes & Shipley Meeting Room on the first floor of the County’s Kalapuya Building at 4500 SW Research Way in Corvallis. There is also the option for online attendance through Zoom. Requests for physical or language accommodations can be emailed to permitcheck@bentoncountyor.gov at least 72 hours in advance of the hearing.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES, HEARINGS and DATES
Tuesday, July 1, 1:00 pm
Last date to submit written evidence through the online portal or by email. Written testimony can still be mailed or delivered in person to the Community Development Department (4500 SW Research Way, Corvallis, OR 97333).
Monday, July 7, 4:00 pm
Last date to submit written testimony in person at the Community Development Department and to receive mailed testimony (it must be received in-office by this date, NOT postmarked by this date). Written testimony can still be submitted in person at the public hearing on July 8 and 9.
Tuesday, July 8, 6-9 pm
Public hearing continues with presentations of supplemental staff report and applicant update. If time permits, begin public verbal testimony on new evidence only.
Zoom registration
Wednesday, July 9, 6-9 pm
Public hearing finishes by 8:45 p.m. and applicant receives 15 minutes for rebuttal.
Zoom registration
Tuesday, July 22, 6 pm
Deliberations by Planning Commission. No public comment will be heard.
Zoom registration
Tuesday, July 29, 6 pm
Meeting to adopt final written decision and findings.
Zoom registration
How to Submit Written testimony, Important Deadlines
There are multiple ways to submit written testimony. To ensure adequate processing and delivery time for digital submissions, deadlines vary for the different methods:
- The online form will close at 1 pm on Tuesday, July 1.
- Emailed submissions to publiccomment@bentoncountyor.gov will be accepted until 1 pm on Tuesday, July 1.
- In-person delivery to the Community Development office will be accepted until 4 pm on Monday, July 7.
- Mailed submissions must be received by 4 pm on Monday, July 7. The Planning Division will not consider the postmark date if a submission is received after this deadline.
- In-person delivery at the public hearing will be accepted starting at 5 pm on Tuesday, July 8 and Wednesday, July 9.
Verbal testimony
The County says community members can participate in a second round of verbal testimony during the public hearing on July 8 and 9. They say it’s an opportunity to present and rebut new evidence, arguments or testimony. This means evidence, arguments and testimony that has not been presented before and that contains new subject matter. People who provided verbal testimony on May 6 or 8 may testify again as long as their testimony meets the novel information requirement.
Sign-up for verbal testimony will open at 9 am on Tuesday, July 1 and close at 6 pm on Tuesday, July 8.
To sign up to deliver verbal testimony or find more information about LU-24-027, including recordings of all previous meetings in the public hearing, visit bentoncountyor.gov/coffin-butte-landfill.
Related Stories:
Coffin Butte: A Deeper Look at Where the Garbage Goes
Editorial: The Landfill Questions We Should All be Asking
Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com