A Warren homeowner says she will move now that officials have given the green light to a developer to build a storage facility on the site of a closed landfill across the street from her home in neighboring Sterling Heights.
Nancy Warnars, a licensed counselor and former teacher, recently told the Sterling Heights City Council she is “heartbroken” over their decision to allow the project, which she says will result in methane leaks from the former dump.
“My patience is absolutely gone for people who disrupt our environment,” she told councilmembers at their Sept. 15 meeting.
Warnars lives near the south side of14 Mile Road near Hoover Road/Maple Lane Drive. Across the street is where a company known as 12555 14 Mile will build a planned unit development (PUD) for Red Run Mini-Storage.
The property owner, builder Tony Saco, plans to construct 10 buildings containing a total of 167 storage units on the six-acre parcel in Sterling Heights.
According to information in the agenda packet, the property is zoned O-2 (Planned Office District) and designated as multihousehold residential.
However, the land is burdened by landfill debris deposited by the city of Detroit in the 1950s and 1960s and is referred to as the Old Detroit Landfill property. Based upon core sampling, contaminants generated from the landfill debris qualify the subject property as a Part I facility under state law, falling under the guidance of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).
Warnars fears the company will tear out existing trees on the vacant property and methane gas will start to “creep out” and create an ozone, which could contribute to smog and respiratory problems.
City planners and the developer say Warnars concerns are overblown. A site report found no evidence of methane, said Ryan Fox, a planner for Sterling Heights.
Officials said the landfill included petroleum-based or machinery products, not food or household waste, which is known to contribute to the creation of ozone.
If methane was discovered onsite, EGLE would have jurisdiction to make sure the property was vented to allow the gas to dissipate, Fox said.
“At this time, the city doesn’t have any concerns,” he told the council.
Saco, the developer, said the property is challenging to build on because of the Red Run Drain, which bisects the property in its northwest quadrant and also the Macomb County regional interceptor along the southeastern border. It is also west of the ITC Corridor power lines.
Saco originally planned to build an apartment complex on the site until he learned of the underground pollution, which will be capped by cement pads for the storage lots.
The development will require about 80 existing trees to be removed, but those will be replaced by new ones and other landscaping, officials said. The entranceway to the storage facility will have a masonry facade.
Councilman Michael Radtke Jr. said the development will be an “improvement” over the existing site.
“While I would like this to be an office or residential, I see the limitations of the site, and there’s a demand for self storage,” he said.
The project must now go through various reviews from state and city officials. Saco said Thursday he plans to break ground sometime next year.
