Private transfer station gets set to open in Cutchogue
Bill Toedter, head of the North Fork Environmental Council, called Peconic Recycling’s site plan application — which was first filed in 2007 but later updated — “outdated” and claimed the project “no longer seems to fit with today’s realties.”
“Back in 2007, it may have seemed that Southold was in for a period of growth,” Mr. Toedter said. “Simply put, the conditions on which this project was approved years ago no longer exist.”
One of his chief concerns is increased traffic on area roads, which he says are already swelling with cars because of the region’s growing tourism industry.
“The potential traffic of trucks coming in and out of Southold from other towns, in addition to the transfer station’s own trucks hauling refuse to other transfer and shipping points to the west, will be ruinous to the North Fork, not only in terms of traffic but also in terms of the noise and air pollution such truck traffic will bring with it,” he said.
The facility’s owners, however, say Peconic Recycling will reduce traffic overall, since it’s mainly meant to complement Mattituck Environmental’s existing commercial hauling services by eliminating long trips from the North Fork to transfer station elsewhere.
“The way it works now is when we haul out we have to go to Yaphank or Medford, so we have to go through multiple towns,” Mr. Lomangino said. “This transfer station will cut back not only on traffic, but also on our carbon footprint.”
Bob DeLuca, president of Group for the East End, said that while he respected Mr. Toedter’s concerns, his organization reviewed the transfer station site plan and found it did not warrant any objections, especially this far down the line.
“If there is a major change in the site plan then you could make the argument that it would need to be reevaluated,” Mr. DeLuca said. “You would need to show a substantial change in the project to petition the site plan. In our review, we didn’t see that.”
In addition to receiving Planning Board approval, the transfer station has received the required permits from the New York State Department of Conservation and the Suffolk County Department of Health, according to paperwork filed with the town planning department.
“Ultimately, we are responsible to report to DEC and they have found this facility fits their requirements,” Mr. Lomangino said.
