Residents Pack Alamance Meeting to Oppose Southwest County Landfill Proposal

Dozens of southwest Alamance County residents showed up angry to the Alamance County Board of Commissioners meeting on March 16, filling the room to object to a proposed 75-acre land-clearing and inert debris landfill at 4115 Clapp Mill Road and demanding that commissioners block or slow the application by KD Phillippie LLC.

Leslie Klar of Regulator Drive set the tone early. He all but yelled at commissioners during the public comment period, declaring "I'm angry" before leveling a direct accusation: "I believe it's your fault and you need to do a better job." Klar accused county officials of placing business interests above residents, saying "I sense there's a scheme here. ... I'm convinced the county is more concerned about tax revenue from expanding industry sites than residents' homes in our county."

Klar also raised alarm about what he described as active truck traffic at a 99-acre landfill site connected to the applicant, even though no final approval has been issued. "Full trucks go in and empty trucks go out," he said.

Allan Figas of Jacks Creek Trail picked up on Klar's observation of trucks arriving from Greensboro and warned commissioners: "You cannot allow Alamance County to become a dumping ground for central North Carolina."

Joe Snyder, an adjacent landowner, attended the planning board meeting and voiced concerns about dust, noise, and hours of operation. Snyder said he voted against the specific proposed permit.

The opposition focused not only on the 75-acre footprint but on the potential for further growth. Speakers noted that the proposed site sits adjacent to smaller existing landfills and that KD Phillippie LLC holds additional parcels nearby that could allow expansion. Several residents urged commissioners to treat southern Alamance as already bearing a disproportionate share of the region's waste disposal burden and to require more thorough technical review before any permit advances.

The Alamance County Planning Board had previously voted on the KD Phillippie LLC application, with only board member Aimee Perkins voting against approval. The county manager said additional information requested by the planning board must be supplied before the item can move to commissioners for final action.

The planning board is expected to reassess the application before returning a recommendation to the full board.