Property owner: Don't rezone former Springdale power plant from industrial use

The owner of the former Cheswick Generating Station is repeating its stance on the property: Springdale should not rezone it from industrial use.

No action was taken at borough council’s meeting this week — the matter wasn’t even on the agenda — but representatives from Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group LLC, a subsidiary of property owner Charah Solutions, told council members the company continues to oppose any possible rezoning of the property, which totals about 56 acres.

On May 10, the Springdale Planning Commission recommended the property be rezoned for residential uses. The planning commission is an advisory board to borough council.

Laura Veith, a Pittsburgh lawyer and counsel for Cheswick Plant Environmental, and Sam Miller, a representative of the company, read from statements reiterating their continued opposition to a possible rezoning. Borough Solicitor Craig Alexander said, before a rezoning request would be considered, there needs to be a public hearing, “and that’s not even on the table right now.”

“There’s no public hearing that’s been scheduled, and I promised you guys that we would have a meeting with you before that happens,” Alexander said.

Miller said planning commission members tabled making a recommendation at their March meeting because they “did not have enough information about the property to vote on whether to make a recommendation to rezone.”

He said, in an effort to cooperate with the borough, Charah officials attempted to schedule meetings with Alexander and a planning commission representative but were unsuccessful. On May 10, Miller said, the commission called for a vote to recommend approval with no public discussion.

Following that vote, Miller said, Charah sent a letter to borough officials on May 26, reiterating its opposition to rezoning. The company also hasn’t been successful in setting up a meeting since then, Miller said, but it has worked well with the borough on other matters.

The property operated as a coal-fired power plant for decades. As Charah remediates the property, the existing environmental conditions there will be remediated to appropriate standards for industrial use.

“When remediation is complete, it will not be possible to build a residential use on this site,” he said.

The site consists of an operating rail line, a coal yard, a bottom ash emergency pond and a recycle pond, waste ponds and a coal pile runoff pond, Miller said, therefore making it unsuitable for residential use.

“I want to be clear: Rezoning to a residential use will make the property unusable,” Miller said.

Remediation for residential use has more stringent regulations than industrial use, which makes the site not economically feasible for residential use, he said.

A residential rezoning would constitute an unconstitutional taking of the property, and Charah would be entitled to compensation for such taking, he said.

“Our goal is to redevelop the property in a manner that will support all tax bases and better the community,” Miller said. “I believe this is also what the community desires. A rezoning for residential is not a viable approach to make this happen.”

The Cheswick Generating Station closed in March 2022. Last year, Charah announced its plans to demolish the plant and potentially use the property for renewable energy and battery storage options.

The smokestacks were imploded earlier this month.

Also at the meeting, council authorized Alexander to attend a tax assessment appeal hearing for Charah scheduled for Wednesday.