
DATE: Sunday, September 7, 1997             TAG: 9709070135

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATTHEW DOLAN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   82 lines

COMPANY VOWS NOT TO SHIP TRASH THROUGH RIVER TERMINAL

The South Norfolk Leadership Council is claiming victory: Developers of a trash terminal in South Norfolk have assured community leaders that no municipal waste will be shipped through their neighborhood.

Leo Johns, a council member and president of the South Norfolk Business Consortium, said Richmond-based cargo terminal developers Environmental Solutions Inc. said they will import only non-trash items if they build their waterside terminal on a site they own along the banks of the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River near Interstate 464.

``They said they wanted a meeting to tell us that they have abandoned their plans to bring trash through here,'' Johns said after the meeting Tuesday evening. ``They still may build a . . . terminal, but no trash.''

To boot, Johns said, Environmental Solutions also asked for the community's help in finding another use for the site if the containerized port idea fizzles.

``We have met with the folks from South Norfolk and we were very pleased with their reception,'' Brenda P. Robinson, vice president of Environmental Solutions, said in a written statement without confirming details of the meeting.

``Our interests have always been in selling or participating in the development of an operation which gives us a return on our extremely risky investment,'' she said.

``As you can imagine, we have invested large dollars in the cleanup, marketing and engineering and development activities. We are excited about several potential opportunities which were discussed by ESI and South Norfolk.''

This turnabout could be credited in part to a recent change to the local law on importing trash, community leaders said.

Under pressure from civic groups that learned of the trash terminal plans, the City Council unanimously voted on July 24 for an emergency ordinance requiring a public hearing before trash terminals receive city approval.

``As I indicated . . . in the past, we never had a contract to bring cargo containing municipal solid waste through our property. I also stated that ESI had invested considerable dollars in the cleanup of an otherwise useless piece of property,'' Robinson wrote in a statement release Friday.

But in March, Environmental Solutions described a different idea, including plans to develop 120 Jefferson St. into a containerized trash terminal.

``We will transport bulk food products, plastic pellets, baled municipal solid waste . . . and other non-hazardous products as we expand,'' Robinson wrote to City Zoning Administrator Chester McClain on March 19.

Without the emergency ordinance, that type of facility would have required a simple administrative review and no public hearing.

City Planning Director Brent R. Nielson confirmed that Environmental Solutions has never applied for a conditional-use permit under the amended law.

Now Environmental Solutions' plan for the old J.G. Wilson property may be changing.

``They said that they are not developers and that they are anxious to sell the property,'' said community activist Anne Tregembo, who also attended the meeting. ``They said they bought the property with the intention to clean it up and sell it.

``We are hoping that they get a buyer for the property and develop it for retail and commercial uses,'' Tregembo said.

``Our revitalization consultant said that would be the best use of the property.''

The no-trash pledge was a move in the right direction, but Tregembo said there would be no guarantees unless such language was part of a deed restriction on the property.

``It's a good sign, but the problem is if they turn the site into another transportation terminal. We just want to make sure that it doesn't become a steppingstone someday for trash,'' said Gene Waters, president of the Chesapeake Council of Civic Organizations. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

Leo Johns

Photo

VICKI CRONIS/The Virginian-Pilot

Leo Johns, a member of the South Norfolk Leadership Council, helped

to persuade Richmond-based cargo terminal developer Environmental

Solutions Inc. not to ship trash through the old J.G. Wilson

property on the banks of the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River

near Interstate 464.