A construction waste dump site in Christiansburg could grow to more than five times its current size if county officials approve an expansion proposal.
The Montgomery County Planning Commission will consider two special use permit requests from the site’s owner when it meets Oct. 8. The board will convene at 7 p.m. in the county government center, 755 Roanoke St., Christiansburg.
If the commission recommends approval, a final decision will come from the county board of supervisors.
Black Diamond Resources LLC operates the existing 8-acre facility, which has been in operation for about eight years, according to planning documents. The company proposes expanding operations to about 43 acres on a nearly 66-acre site. It would allow for disposal of 2 million cubic yards of debris over a 40-year period, including soil, brick, concrete block and broken concrete.
This will meet an economic development need because currently, there are “extremely limited” options for fill dump sites in the county, according to the company’s site design firm, Foresight Design Services of Christiansburg.
The company also proposes establishing a contractor’s storage yard for equipment.
The site near the Route 460 bypass and Interstate 81 is adjacent to residential properties, including 86 apartments, 38 duplexes and 16 single-family homes, according to planning documents.
Planning documents note that the town has received “numerous complaints” from nearby residents about current site operations. Concerns have centered on mud, dust and gravel “being tracked along multiple properties.” Also, concern has been raised over how debris storage can affect stormwater drainage, possibly cause road damage and affect the appearance of the neighborhood.
However, planners note, the most recent complaint to the town was received in 2021.
In June, the planning commission postponed action on the expansion permit requests because of questions about the design. The design firm responded in September with changes, including the addition of a 20-foot-wide buffer zone between the proposed expanded site and residential properties.
Planning staff also questioned the purpose of 32 proposed parking spaces at the storage yard. The design firm said those were for “illustrative purposes only” and that a specific number of spaces will be determined during site plan development.
The design firm says heavy equipment and construction vehicles will use the existing access point on Village Lane.
At the town’s request, a pavement analysis was submitted June 30. Its goal was to determine whether the road could accommodate 1,500 trips per day.
The total trips based on residential units were found to be about 853 per day. The developer provided construction traffic counts at the existing site for one year, averaging to nearly six trips per day. If the site expands, the total anticipated traffic on Village Lane will be nearly 973 trips per day.
The design firm believes the road can handle the added traffic, and the town does not object as long as construction traffic uses only Village Lane.
The design firm said that on some days, there will be no additional traffic, but construction traffic could go to 20-30 trips per day “when an active project is utilizing the site.”
County planners expect that nearby residents and property owners “will be impacted by the noise and traffic created during the operation.”
You can find the meeting documents here.
