A hearing by the Lee County Board of Adjustment on a proposal to place a several-hundred acre construction debris landfill along the Deep River in northern Lee County was recessed after several hours of testimony Monday night and will resume in May.

Monday night’s hearing at the old Lee County Courthouse was packed to capacity and stretched nearly four hours. Attorney Jimmy Love Sr. is now representing neighboring landowners who have said they would fight the proposal after Chip Post, another attorney, withdrew from the case.

After going from 6 to nearly 10 p.m., the hearing was recessed until 5 p.m. May 13.

Lee County landowner Bobby Branch – who fought a similar landfill proposal in the same area in 2003 – submitted plans for the landfill along North Plank Road to county planning staff in December. The Board of Adjustment is the county-appointed quasi-judicial board which will eventually determine if Branch is issued a special use permit for the project, although that would not be the final step in the process – the county Board of Commissioners would still be required to issue a franchise to the developers, a legislative process in which the commissioners have far more discretion than the adjustment board.

Monday’s hearing included opening statements from both sides, as well as testimony from several “expert witnesses” on behalf of the applicant. It’s possible that the May 13 continuation may still not allow enough time for all testimony to be heard, meaning a third meeting could be scheduled on the matter.

Support our advertisers.