Landfill Zoning Variance Attacked From Opposite Sides

The Sunshine Canyon Landfill has committed no zoning violation serious enough to warrant being closed and does not pose a threat to nearby Granada Hills residents, the landfill’s owner has told a Los Angeles zoning panel.

The Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled to hear appeals today by Browning-Ferris Industries and a residents group, the North Valley Coalition, of a city zoning administrator’s ruling that the landfill must seek a new zoning variance.

Browning-Ferris is appealing the findings that zoning violations occurred and that the variance should be sought. The North Valley Coalition is appealing the decision because--like City Councilman Hal Bernson, who represents the area--it wants the variance revoked.

“There are only possible technical violations that have been alleged,” Browning-Ferris said in a 41-page document submitted to the appeals board last week. “None of the Browning-Ferris actions constitutes a health, safety or welfare threat, none is egregious, and none was effected with an intent to circumvent the law.”

Height Limits Cited

The zoning administrator did not revoke the dump’s zoning variance, issued in 1966, but declared that Browning-Ferris had allowed the landfill to exceed height limits. The administrator found in September that the company deserved a chance to remedy the violations and ordered it to seek the variance.

Besides zoning violations stemming from the height of the landfill, city Associate Zoning Administrator John J. Parker Jr. found that Browning-Ferris was putting refuse in areas other than those allowed by the variance, including an area that is too close to a ridgeline. The zoning variance also was violated when dust and litter blew into a nearby neighborhood, Parker said.

In the document presented to the appeals board, Browning-Ferris maintained that water trucks, cleanup crews and the use of soil sealant on the landfill are controlling the problem of blowing dust and litter.

Browning-Ferris argues in the document that it has not exceeded the prescribed height of the landfill, according to its interpretation of the variance.

The firm acknowledged putting refuse within 50 feet of a ridgeline, in violation of the variance. But it said the violation should be considered minor because it occurred only in one area.

Moreover, Browning-Ferris contended that the landfill should not be closed because Los Angeles County needs it. About 15% of the county’s trash is dumped at Sunshine, the company said.

Pressing Need

The need for landfills is so pressing in the county, the company said, that state law requires an environmental impact report before the dump can be closed.

“That’s ridiculous,” Dotti Main, vice president of the North Valley Coalition, said of the company’s argument. The dump must be closed because it has reached its capacity, she said.