On behalf of landfill abutters, Boston attorney Peter L. Koff has filed an appeal of Northampton Building Commissioner Tony Patillo’s action regarding the current operations of Northampton’s regional landfill. Patillo ruled that operations of the landfill are legal in response to a request for zoning enforcement letter submitted by Citizens United for a Healthy Future earlier this year. Known as a Request for a Finding, Citizens hopes to make their case before Northampton’s Zoning Board of Appeals, a committee appointed by Mayor Mary Clare Higgins with city council approval. Click here to view permits filed electronically and scroll down to "N/A" for more details.
The appeal reads in part:
"The parcel of land, which is owned by the City of Northampton, is being unlawfully used as the Northampton Regional Sanitary Landfill in violation of the Northampton Zoning Ordinances and Massachusetts General laws cited below. The applicants seek discontinuance of use as a regional sanitary landfill and discontinuance of all other unlawful uses unless and until all zoning requirements have been met, all as more specifically set forth in the zoning enforcement request, dated March 18, 2008, sent on behalf of the above-listed 42 Northampton residents to Building Commissioner Anthony Patillo, which request was denied by his letter dated April 1, 2008."
"The applicants are direct abutters and/or suffer from increased use of Glendale Road for refuse haul trucks, noise from landfill operations, landfill odors, property contamination from leachate runoff, dimunition in proper(t)y values, and other direct adverse impacts not suffered by the general public."
See earlier Redoubt entry which includes a link to the request for zoning enforcement letter by clicking here.
