Tomorrow night (June 14th) the Elizabeth Township Zoning Hearing Board will render a decision whether or not to grant a use variance for Allegheny Energy Center, the proposed gas power plant along the Yough. MWA and Protect ET are parties in the hearing that took place over the last several months. Through our participation in the hearings we are trying to prevent the plant from being built along the river corridor in a residential zone. We have invested significant time and resources to ensure the community and the river have a voice in the matter.
Our legal team presented a land use expert to demonstrate that the project would have a significant impact on the neighborhood by altering the characteristics of a residential district. To ensure this doesn’t happen, the community has been garnering public support for a denial of the variance that would allow an industrial activity near people’s homes. From an environmental perspective, there is concern about the proposed location of this power plant because it is a brownfield with a long history of contamination from illegal dumping.
Please consider attending the special meeting Tuesday, June 14th at 7:00 pm for the vote by the Zoning Hearing Board at the Elizabeth Forward Middle School (401 Rock Run Road, Elizabeth) to show support for the Yough and the community she entwines.