Cleanways withdraws plan for recycling center near Pleasant Unity

Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling is back to square one in its search for a larger recycling site after backing away from a plan to use a former machine shop near Pleasant Unity.

Twin Lake Holdings, a Somerset County firm that proposed purchasing the 21-acre Unity property and leasing it to Westmoreland Cleanways, has withdrawn a zoning change request for the Phillips Road location, the township zoning hearing board announced.

Ellen Keefe, executive director of Westmoreland Cleanways, said the nonprofit's decision was largely based on opposition from neighboring residents at a Jan. 23 hearing before the zoning panel. Several residents voiced concern about having discarded items dropped off in their neighborhood and worried that tractor-trailers hauling items from the property would damage the road and endanger pedestrians.

“We can't afford to fight the neighbors,” Keefe told the Tribune-Review. “We decided it was best to pull out.”

In a Feb. 1 letter to township officials, Keefe said the testimony led her to conclude “we would never be welcome there.”

Keefe said she also was concerned that the zoning panel, if it had approved the nonconforming use, would include restrictions preventing Cleanways from expanding its drop-off collection of recyclable materials and constructing a new office building and education center to supplement a 10,000-square-foot Quonset hut at the property.

“You don't buy 20 acres if you can only use three of it,” Keefe said.

According to Keefe, the Quonset hut was the primary asset the Phillips Road site offered. “It has been very difficult to find a building of that size,” she said. “It may end up to be finding some property and building what we want.”

A plan to relocate to a site near Yukon fell through last year.

“We're still looking for the ideal property that is going to allow us to do what we want,” she said. “For now, we'll stay where we are.”

Cleanways leases its headquarters and a 3,400-square-foot building for collecting recyclable items at Innovative Park, off Route 30 in Unity.

According to Keefe, Cleanways had hoped the larger Phillips Road site, with increased interior storage space and security, would allow it once more to accept TVs and other electronics for recycling by JVS Environmental, the parent company of Twin Lake Holdings.

Cleanways is not able to store all recyclables under one roof at Innovative Park. It has suspended drop-offs of electronics since its site there was hit by arson April 12.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.