ASHEVILLE - Up a scrubby, sloping bank behind the Westmore Apartments is a 21-acre field, dotted with trees, where neighborhood kids often come to play, residents say, and some people walk their dogs or sneak picturesque views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Earlier this month, the property at 65 Ford St., was permitted as a temporary debris processing site. It sits directly adjacent to Westmore's 72 affordable units and nearby Deaverview Apartments, a 160-unit public housing complex.
The pastoral landscape became home to large piles of debris, such as downed limbs and vegetation, construction and demolition material and other detritus generated by Tropical Storm Helene's devastation.
Estimates have put the amount citywide at more than 2.5 million cubic yards, or 70,000 truckloads-worth.
Following resident outcry and community concern, the city announced Oct. 21 it would deactivate the site. No additional debris would be brought to the Ford Street property, and with the exception of vegetative debris, all material currently on the site would be processed and removed in two weeks.
But the door for future use was left open. Moving forward, the site would "only be used if needed," said a pamphlet distributed Oct. 22 to a mass of disgruntled people outside the steps of City Hall.
"Security and site prep measures such as fencing will continue so the site is ready to be reactivated, if needed," it read.
Resident concerns
JC Cobb, a six-year resident of Westmore, said news of the deactivation did not immediately assuage his concerns. The debris processing site property directly backs his building. If the need arises, it could be put back in use, he said.
“They keep using the word temporary. And I’m not very confident that it’s going to be just temporary. It could be some time that debris, trash is back there. So, then that means us, the residents who are immediately connected to this site, our health and safety is put in jeopardy," he told the Citizen Times Oct. 23. He has four children, and their wellbeing was his top concern.
Both Cobb and another resident, Ken Erwin, said they were not notified of the site by the city. A stack of fliers was left at the complex's main office.
Erwin's fears were prompted, in part, by how debris would be processed. He was glad to hear it was being deactivated, but still had concerns around safety, for both his family and the area as a whole.
"They could have found a better place besides a residential area," he said.
What is a temporary debris processing site?
At active temporary debris sites, a third-party contractor, Southern Disaster Recovery, will stage, process and separate debris. Sites are not open to the public. Processing could look like grinding or compacting, preparing material to be hauled to a permanent site outside of the city.
The city permitted and opened three sites. Of those, only one, at Enka Commerce Park, is currently active and receiving storm debris. The sites at Ford Street and the front nine of the Asheville Municipal Golf Course were deactivated, but remain ready for use, if necessary.
The city said a fourth permitted site, at Roger Farmer Park, will not be used.
The idea is for there to be a "constant flow through of materials," said city Sanitation Division Manager Jes Foster at an Oct. 23 Buncombe County briefing.
Temporary sites will receive construction and demolition materials, appliances, electronics, vegetative material and household hazardous waste such as cleaning supplies, paint and batteries. Household hazardous waste is collected separately and placed in a containment system so it cannot leach into the soil, Foster said.
No toxic or hazardous materials will be brought to temporary sites, she said. The difference between hazardous waste and "household" hazardous waste, per a city spokesperson, was items like propane tanks, fuel oil drums and large materials.
State regulations limit where temporary sites can be staged, including required distances from waterways, residences, wells and roads. Sites will be monitored by the Asheville Fire Department and N.C. Department of Environmental Quality inspectors to ensure compliance with its permitting, said an Oct. 23 news release from the county.
Random soil and water samples will be collected at sites for analysis.
“These decisions are not easy, and every decision will be made with community safety in mind,” Foster said.
The city's Unified Development Ordinance allows for the placement of any temporary uses that the city manager deems "necessary or desirable in conjunction with the management of the emergency," Foster said of questions around necessary zoning.
City Manager Debra Campbell said Oct. 25 that both the Enka and Ford Street site now have 24/7 security monitoring.
Additional permit applications have been submitted to NCDEQ, including for sites within the River Arts District corridor to enable contractors to manage debris within that area.
What's the risk?
The Ford Street land was purchased by the city in 2021 with the intention of using it, along with other adjoining city owned property, to create a "purpose built community," incorporating Deaverview Apartments, the public housing complex abutting Westmore.
Westmore Apartments is an affordable housing complex owned by nonprofit developer Mountain Housing Opportunities. Of its 171 residents, 57 are under the age of 18, said CEO Geoffrey Barton. He and MHO spokesperson Lukas Ray met the Citizen Times at the apartments Oct. 23.
Barton called the deactivation of the Ford Street site a "step in the right direction," but was advocating for it to be permanently shut down.
“I think it’s an acknowledgement that this is not a good location for storm debris processing," he said of the decision. "And I do take the city at face value, that it is truly a matter of finding more suitable sites."
Despite assurances that toxic or hazardous material — aside from household hazardous material — would not be brought to the sites, Barton said it doesn't alleviate all concerns, like construction waste with possible lead paint or asbestos.
"Right now, the truth is, we just don’t know what the risk could be because we haven’t seen what the DEQ application is, or what the process for evaluating sites is," Barton said. "So that’s when your mind starts to wander and contemplate the disastrous impacts. So the city, once they do share that information, I think will help all of us.”
Safety of children and environmental impacts were his primary concerns. Since the site was activated, he had heard from neighborhood kids who had been playing on or near it. It pushed the situation into "high gear" to get immediate action.
Local nonprofits urge greater transparency
Barton, in his capacity with MHO, along with representatives with MountainTrue and Southern Environmental Law Center, signed on to a letter sent to the mayor and council members Oct. 22. It urged greater transparency around how sites are chosen and asked what safeguards are in place to protect nearby communities and the environment.
It noted particular concern around 65 Ford St., and said according to the city's own Climate Justice Data Map, the surrounding neighborhood faces some of the highest climate threats in the city.
"While we recognize the need for expediency in dealing with storm debris, we are concerned that the Ford Street location is perpetuating a history of environmental injustice," the letter said, with society disproportionately placing unwanted, polluting industries and facilities in lower-income communities of color. "We cannot afford to continue making these mistakes — even in times of crisis."
It asked several questions of the city, and said it was hard to evaluate risk with "so little information" disclosed about the city's plans.
"Understandably, the city is busy," it said. "But we cannot sit idly by while these potentially harmful facilities go into operation."
More:West Asheville public housing residents decry debris processing sites opened nearby
More:No additional debris brought to West Asheville site near Deaverview, for now, city says
More:Asheville Council OKs funds for Helene recovery to cover home repairs, rental assistance
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on X, formerly Twitter, at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.