Proposal would see former KED site in Sudbury used as a waste transfer facility

Greater Sudbury's planning committee is being asked to approve a plan to use the site of the disbanded Kingsway Entertainment District as a waste transfer facility. (File)

Greater Sudbury's planning committee is being asked to approve a plan to use the site of the disbanded Kingsway Entertainment District as a waste transfer facility.

The site, near Levesque Street in the Moonlight Beach area of the city, would need to be affirmed zoned for heavy industrial use outside the Ramsey Lake watershed through an official plan amendment.

City planning staff are recommending approval, subject to several conditions.

The proposal includes an 880 square-metre waste transfer station, a 1,530 square-metre commercial garage, 420 square-metre of office space, plus storage space for 100 bins, parking for 50 commercial vehicles, seven light-duty trucks and another 100 parking spaces.

"The site is to be operated by Waste Management Inc. and will enable the consolidation of their operations in Greater Sudbury," the staff report on the plan said.

"Waste Management’s current operations employ approximately 85 people."

The facility will receive about 150-200 tonnes of non-hazardous solid waste to be loaded for transfer to the approved disposal facility. Sorting, when required, will be completed indoors.

"There is no outdoor storage," the report said.

"The facility is anticipated to operate from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accept materials, and sorting and loading may also occur during evening hours depending on the acoustic assessment."

An acoustic assessment will have to be completed, which could lead to restrictions on operating hours, as well as "maximum tonnage received, maximum onsite storage, disinfection procedures, site security, inspection and maintenance standards, staff training, record keeping, compliant response protocol, emergency response, stormwater management, reporting, and closure practices."

The site currently doesn't have water or sewer services, which would have to be built as the project moves forward.

The city's environmental services department said that since the site is already close to the city's landfill, more nuisance odours could be created, and the developer needs to mitigate that possibility.

In addition, it recommends ensuring the operating keep documentation to show that the waste it collects is local and that it's not taking any waste from other communities.

The proposal will be reviewed at the Nov. 13 planning committee meeting. Read the full report here.