Updated Facts About the Proposed Rezoning

The following facts were composed by Citizens for Positive Growth

About the Site

• Proposed asphalt plant would be located at 4127 West Main Street, the former Salem Water Treatment Facility.
• Currently zoned for light industry (I-1). Proposal is to rezone for heavy industry (I-2) and to request a special use permit to operate an asphalt plant and construction yard.
• If approved, this would become the only heavy industry site bordering the north side of Main Street between Salem City and Montgomery County. This 5-mile stretch is an important buffer that protects residents from any encroachment of heavy industries existing south of West Main Street.
• One-third of a mile from Richfield Retirement Center, with approximately 700 residents and 500 employees.
• 500 feet from the property line for Glenvar Schools (serving 1,470 students) and 1,150 feet from Glenvar Elementary.
• 350 feet from Fort Lewis Baptist Church, where 100+ children, ages 3-12, attend daycare and preschool.
• Next door to a popular family pizza restaurant.
• Surrounded by a densely populated residential area, with approximately 700 existing homes and around 200 homes under development within a one-mile radius.
• USA Today research based on EPA data found that over 75% of the nation’s schools have better air quality than the Glenvar Schools.
• The placement of an asphalt plant in this location will increase truck traffic and reduce driver visibility on an already congested section of West Main Street.

About Roanoke County Guidelines Relevant to this Issue

• The decision regarding rezoning is entirely in the hands of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors based on their understanding of appropriate land use.
• Current zoning ordinances for Roanoke County charge the Board of Supervisors with the task of evaluating whether a “specific proposal has a minimum adverse impact on the surrounding neighborhood.”
• Rezoning for an asphalt plant, from I-1 to I-2, requires that such sites have “relative remoteness and absence of substantial residential development which could be adversely affected by such development.”
• Roanoke County Code states that zoning regulations “are designed to achieve the general purposes of promoting the health, safety, and general welfare of the public…”
• Concerning economic growth, the proposed business would only yield 6-8 new jobs at this site.

About Asphalt

• Asphalt is known to emit toxic pollutants, including: arsenic, benzene, fluorene, formaldehyde, acenapthene, phenanthrene and many other toxic pollutants and carcinogens.
• Although it is commonly believed that DEQ and/or EPA will monitor all polluting emissions of an asphalt plant, the only monitoring that will occur at this site is the emission of fine dust particles, per EPA rules. The larger, more prevalent dust particles are neither monitored nor regulated, and the trucks hauling the asphalt are not regulated.
• The proposed use of recycled (reclaimed) asphalt products at this plant will dramatically increase the production of hydrocarbons specifically listed by EPA as known carcinogens.

About Citizens for Positive Growth

• CFPG opposes the proposal to allow rezoning for heavy industry on the north side of West Main Street, which would destroy the current 5-mile buffer.
• CFPG represents the residents of East Salem, Cherokee Hills, Glenvar Heights, Fort Lewis, Beverly Heights, Woodbridge, Poor Mountain, Harborwood, and surrounding areas.
• CFPG supports planned, positive growth. We would support the logical use of the parcel in question, but it must be in harmony with its surroundings. We would welcome light industry or commercial development at this site.
• CFPG is based in the western part of Roanoke County but recognizes that rezoning for heavy industry near residential areas is a countywide issue.
• CFPG is aligned with the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), which provides support for citizen groups with similar issues.

How You Can Help

• Attend the information session and rally at Glenvar Middle School on Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30 p.m. Bring your friends and neighbors.
• Urge people in other parts of the County to call or write their Supervisors to encourage them to vote “no” to the rezoning request.
• Make a cash donation or purchase a yard sign to offset costs of this awareness campaign.
• Attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m. to show your opposition to the asphalt plant or any other heavy industry at this location.