Newcastle Landfill Not Going To Reopen

The Newcastle landfill near Bellevue will remain closed.

Attorneys for Coal Creek Development Co. yesterday asked the King County Council to not consider its application for a permit to reopen and enlarge the fill, which had been used for dumping of construction and demolition debris.

William Chapman, Seattle attorney representing the firm, told County Council Chairwoman Lois North that Coal Creek Development Co. expects to withdraw its application.

In a letter to North, Chapman said the decision was based on the cumulative impact of conditions the council intended to impose on expansion and operation of the landfill.

``That's exactly what we have wanted all the way along,'' said Richard Aramburu, Seattle attorney representing Tri-Mountain Associates, a neighborhood group fighting the landfill. ``We always felt expansion was not appropriate.''

The Newcastle fill was closed in January when it reached the volume authorized by county permit. The council refused to permit an emergency reopening of the dump despite pleas from contractors and developers who said there was no alternative dump site in the county for building and demolition debris.

At the same time, the county was processing an application from Coal Creek Development Co. for permission to enlarge the fill and to operate it until mid-1992. A county hearing examiner recommended denial of the permit application. But the council, convinced there was no alternative, voted to allow it to reopen.

The council on Monday completed drafting the conditions it wanted to impose on operation of the dump. Final action on the permit application was scheduled for next Monday.

Community residents fought Coal Creek Development Co. every step of the permit process, arguing the dump should not be reopened.

Now, they intend to watch how the company plans to close the fill permanently and redevelop it as a golf course, Aramburu said.

Neighbors remain concerned about the unknown character of the fill. They contend all kinds of garbage have been dumped there in violation of county rules and Newcastle someday may cause problems similar to those plaguing Seattle's Midway landfill.

Wally Toner, a public-affairs consultant representing the fill owners, said Warren Razore and Steve Banchero, partners in Coal Creek, spent Tuesday and Wednesday reviewing the conditions and debating the merits of reopening the fill.

They became convinced that accepting council conditions would expose family members and business associates to liabilities they now don't have, Toner said.

In addition, the businessmen expect to open a large landfill in Klickitat County next year. They plan to build transfer stations here and to ship garbage by train.

Toner said one condition would have required indemnification of the county against any future liabilities related to the dump. Another demanded the posting of a $3 million letter of credit.

``The point though, is that it was not necessarily any one condition but the cumulative effect of all 52 that caused Warren to evaluate whether 18 months of use was worth it . . .'' Toner said.

Razore and Banchero intend to move ahead with plans for the golf course, Toner said.

After Coal Creek was closed, demolition debris was hauled to a small dump in Renton and to another near Puyallup. Some construction waste wound up in the county's Cedar Hills landfill, although it normally is not allowed there.