ARCHIVED REPORTS_1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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GROWTH INDUCING IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTION The development of a replacement landfill will not directly contribute to growth inducement in the County or within the immediate area. To the ex=. tent that any sanitary landfill, or any other refuse disposal method, con- tributes to the population growth of an area, the proposed landfill will have a similar effect. The landfill operation, wherever located, allows an urbanized society to control the disposal of its solid waste. Population growth and an increase in the number of throw -away products demand a reliable method of dis- posing of waste without creating -hazards. Landfills meet this demand, but do not create it. It may be argued that continuing to develop landfill sites indirectly encourages the throw -away mentality by making is easy to remove the discarded item from sight and mind. No emperical data has been found or generated to prove or disprove this suggestion. It is our opinion that the causal relation- ship operates in the opposite direction, and that landfills are developed in response to a demand created by and within society in general. Landfills are generally not depicted in promotional advertisements as an inducement to people to move into an area. The roadway improvements to Harney Lane anticipated with the development of the site conceivably could result in attracting growth to the immediate area. However, property in proximity to the proposed site is zoned for agricultural uses and is currently restricted to large parcel sizes. The roadway improvements will involve a short stretch of Harney Lane, and, absent whole- sale changes in the General Plan and zoning designations, should not by itself attract growth to the area.