The Woodland City Council met for a workshop on Monday, June 1, to discuss a proposed zoning map amendment that would allow a future waste transfer station at 1776 Schurman Way and on surrounding properties.
The proposal covers about 24 acres that are currently zoned for light industrial use. Applicant Mike Leboki is requesting a change to heavy industrial zoning, which he says would support future development connected to the nearby railroad and allow a transfer station to be built on one of the lots.
The Woodland Planning Commission held a public hearing on May 21 and is scheduled to make a recommendation on June 18. The city council is expected to consider the proposal for final approval on July 6.
Mayor Todd Dinehart said the discussion was intended to familiarize council members and the public with the proposal as it advances through the city’s review process.
“At the end of the day, it would bring in about $500,000 of additional revenue for the city of Woodland that currently goes up to Cowlitz County,” Dinehart said. “It’s the same … company, but the taxes would stay here with us,” he added, referring to Waste Control, a Longview company under Waste Connections INC.
Leboki, who owns Taylor Transport, told council members he has been working with Waste Connections on the project for several years and has already acquired the property.
“There will be no smell. It’s not a garbage dump,” Leboki added. “It’s a transfer station.”
Leboki said the facility would allow waste collected in Woodland to be consolidated locally. Under the city’s current agreement, garbage trucks travel long distances from Woodland to Longview.
“This would provide … probably a better traffic flow for Woodland,” he said. “Besides the revenue it will bring to the city, it’ll also make, I think, a lot more convenience for residents here.”
Leboki said the plan would give residents a place to drop off large amounts of cardboard, glass and other recyclables. He described the proposed facility as a fully enclosed operation.
“It’s going to be an enclosed metal building with doors that go up and down,” Leboki said. “So as the garbage comes in, it gets dumped on a floor in a building just like you would see up at Waste Control in Longview.”
Several community members voiced support for the idea during the workshop.
“I just want to make a comment that my daughter took her children with a group and they did a tour of the transfer station down there in Vancouver, and she said there was no smell,” Donna Butler said. “So that’s just nice to know if you didn’t get a chance to check it out like was recommended.”
Another resident who spoke remotely said he previously lived near a Waste Connections transfer station in Vancouver and considered it a community asset.
“It’s a great amenity. It’s a great service,” Local resident Max Bondar said. “I do like the recycling feature and hope that gets implemented.”
If built, the transfer station would be operated by Waste Connections, which owns Waste Control of Longview. Leboki said the project could create at least five family-wage jobs. Waste Connections’ role would be established through a separate agreement with Leboki.
If approved, the zoning change would apply to the property even if a transfer station is not ultimately constructed.
According to previous reporting by The Columbian, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assessed $6,000 in fines against Green Works Enterprises, a company owned by Mike and Mary Ann Leboki, for Clean Water Act violations in the Chelatchie area. The EPA said the company used heavy equipment to relocate and discharge dredged material below the high-water mark of Chelatchie and Cedar Creek tributaries without obtaining required permits.
