For Immediate Release
October 27, 2021
CHURCHILL RESIDENTS BLAST AMAZON WAREHOUSE PROPOSAL IN FINAL NIGHT OF PUBLIC HEARING
Contacts:
Sandy Fox sm2fox@yahoo.com 412-770-5602
Cathy Bordner cathy.bordner@gmail.com 573-690-1919
Churchill, PA, October 27, 2021--The Public Hearing, which started July 19, 2021, finally came to a close just before 11:00 pm on Monday 10/25/21, after 14 nights and over 50 hours of testimony, cross examination, and public comments combined. The clock has started for Borough Council members to render a decision and vote within 45 days to approve or deny a conditional use permit for a 2.9 million square foot Amazon distribution center on the 133 acre former site of the Westinghouse Research and Technology Park.
Residents of this small, verdant community of 3000 people ten miles east of Pittsburgh have voiced overwhelming opposition to the proposal from Hillwood, a developer based in Dallas, Texas. This property, which is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, contains 100 acres of green space and 1400 mature trees that would be destroyed with the development, along with the demolition of the mid-century buildings.
There are 450 homes within 1000 feet of the property and two schools directly across the street. The proposal would bring 800 or more diesel tractor trailer truck trips in and out of the site daily, 24/7, 365 days/year, creating pollution, storm water flooding, and traffic that would greatly endanger the health, safety, and welfare of residents and students.
Public comments covered a range of concerns. On the last night of the Hearing, 21 residents spoke, with 20 opposed. Bonnie Chojnacki cited the Borough Ordinance 304-31 Criteria for Approval, which mandates that “the proposed use shall be consistent with past development of the Borough and its current character,” criteria which--according to Chojnacki--Westinghouse took care to meet since the earliest stage of its development at the site in the 1950’s and which is violated by the current Proposal. In addition to highlighting the aesthetic building and landscape design of the Westinghouse property, Chojnacki addressed the historical and ecological value of the site, while presenting scientific evidence for maintaining the biodiversity of the property in the midst of a climate crisis (https://ecode360.com/documents/CH1558/public/627799726.pdf
Jill Stewart, who lives on Greensburg Pike, one of the roads adjacent to the site and on which trucks and employee vehicles will travel, reported that her family bought her house in the 1950’s and that she has recently received numerous calls from predatory real estate investors wanting to buy her house for 55% of its value. This is what Steve Frank, who provided public comments at the 10/11/21 Public Hearing session, had warned would occur if the warehouse is approved. Frank, a resident and professional real estate appraiser with 27 years experience, predicted that housing prices in Churchill would plummet, and some devalued houses would be turned into rental properties by speculators. Noting the disruptive and hazardous conditions for residents along her street if this proposal is approved, Stewart asserted “One need not be an expert to know not to drink the Kool-aid Hillwood is presenting… they have not met the criteria for the conditional use permit...it is dangerous, injurious, and noxious and not consistent with the current character of the Borough.”
Ruth Anne Balkey, a resident of the Borough for over 40 years, pointed out how Churchill’s roads, designed in the 50’s when trucks were shorter, are too narrow for today’s big rigs to make right turns within their own lane and addressed the greatly increased risk of traffic accidents with this proposal, a sentiment echoed by others throughout the Public Hearing process. Gerald Moore noted that some of Churchill’s narrow roads cannot be altered to accommodate semi tractor trailer trucks due to existing overpass infrastructure.
Vencent Johnson, currently retired and a six year resident, drove 18-wheeler tractor trailers for 15 years following careers in the military and law enforcement. He offered a sharp warning to Council of truck cargo spills, accidents, shortcuts through neighborhoods, and trash, noting “time is money… trust me when I say, they will do it… not moi, because I came from law enforcement,” but some others will--including experienced and new drivers--concluding his remarks with an emphatic “I oppose it.”
Ike Ezekoye, PhD, now retired, worked for Westinghouse for 45 years in nuclear power design and transportation and lives within 200 feet of the property line of the proposed warehouse. A significant portion of his testimony focused on the dangers of lowering and leveling the site, which will require blasting away 10 to 20 feet of bedrock. There are concrete containers of nuclear material buried at the Westinghouse hot cell facility, which still operates adjacent to the proposed warehouse site (https://www.westinghousenuclear.com/Portals/0/about/innovation/WestinghouseHotCellFacilityandLabs.pdf ). Because of the plan to lower the facility by 10 additional feet, and the need for more blasting to accomplish that, potential risks should be thoroughly studied before a conditional use permit is issued. There is also an inactive coal mine underneath the site, and blasting could cause subsidence, potentially destabilizing the earth under and around the site, including I-376, which runs along the northern boundary of the property. Finally, there are underground gas pipelines that feed a gas pumping station near the site, which would be at risk of rupture.
Elizabeth Casman, a resident of Churchill, issued the following statement today:
“The time to analyze risks from a non-conforming use is the Conditional Use process, NOT after the permit is granted. Hillwood has cherry-picked the risks it wanted to tell us about, but left out the potential for radioactive releases. The stability of the site vis a vis blasting has to be studied before the vote, NOT afterwards. The potential impact on the underground storage of nuclear waste must be evaluated before the vote, not after it. The letter of the law must be followed. The Council has to demand full studies and give the public time to vet them in a public hearing.”
Sandy Fox, also a Churchill resident, reflecting after the Public Hearing, noted that since the property has been deemed eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, State and Federal tax credits are available for rehabilitation and “adaptive reuse” of the buildings that would not carry the grave environmental and health risks of demolition and blasting. “Clearly, the Applicant has failed to meet the criteria for a conditional use permit. If this Proposal is rejected by Council, as it should be, we hope that the current owners will consider development options that protect both people and the environment. The risks are too great. We cannot afford to do otherwise.”
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