Like many of its brethren, a former garbage dump may soon join the fight in providing a new source of power for the area’s growing energy demands. But first, the site must undergo additional testing to measure the extent of the land’s contamination.
Just like retired trash heaps are routinely tapped for the methane gas emitted from rotting rubbish, producing a main ingredient of natural gas, the 38 acres along Lake Underhill Road may also help generate electricity — but with a renewable resource. The latest in a long line of proposed uses for this controversial parcel is to create a “solar farm,” a series of 10-foothigh solar panels harnessing the sun’s energy so it can then be sold to an energy provider.
Developer Dwight Saathoff is requesting a change in the land-use plan — from medium density residential and office to a planned development — that would allow a solar farm on the 60-acre site, only about half of which is developable due to wetlands. If the solar farm doesn’t prove financially viable, he would build a retail and office park on the north side of Lake Underhill, east of Dean Road. But before anything happens, it must be determined if the site is healthy enough to support any type of development.
A former landfill
The property was used as a landfill by Orange County from 1964-72, resulting in about 13.5 tons of non-toxic household trash being dumped on 40 acres of the 210 acres leased by the county during that period along Lake Underhill. Adjacent lands also were used for dumping waste.
However, the exact nature of the dumping is not known due to a fire in 1974 that destroyed the county’s records. In 1983, after the site was no longer used as a dump, the county Environmental Protection Division began testing the groundwater, digging 22 monitoring wells that have found traces of certain metals such as iron, lead, cadmium and manganese.
These concentrations of metal contaminants exceed current drinking standards. Testing in some sections also turned up traces of vinyl chloride and benzene, both known cancer-causing agents, officials said. Five years ago, testing of groundwater along Lake Underhill Road revealed rising levels of carcinogens, prompting officials to caution area residents still using well water.
Although groundwater is separate from nearby residents’ well-water supply, officials say that, due to increased demand for water, groundwater may one day be needed as a supply source. All new developments, including homes directly on Dean Creek Lane, use county water. All of this was reported in 2003 when another developer sought to develop the land, popularly known as the Cloyd property, named after the family that originally owned the land.
Louis Seybold had purchased the property a year before from Orange County Public Schools, which decided not to put a school there due to environmental concerns. Seybold’s plan to construct 325 townhomes was rejected by county officials due to the contamination issue, essentially taking future residential construction off the table. The developer then tried for a business park, but was unsuccessful after the county ordered more tests.
The current plan
Residents who are familiar with the site also question whether the site is safe for development. “That property was never lined or vented like a dump should be,” said homeowner Karrie Navigato. “The land’s been tested positive for carcinogens. That’s why the residential (plan) never went through.” Saathoff maintains the contamination problem is minimal, saying his development plans are dependent on that fact.
“The contaminant levels are not significant. I’m not going to buy the property if there’s a contamination issue,” he said. David Twedell, an environmental consultant for the project, concurred the pollution issue has been overblown. “There’s a lot of myths about this site,” he said. “This site has been tested forever.
I worked for the [Orange County Environmental Protection Division] in the 1980s and this site was being tested then.” Twedell explained that the testing revealed contaminant levels that do not approach minimum safety standards and do not require a cleanup. He said testing done last year showed contamination on the south side of Lake Underhill, but not on the north side; not surprising, he said, since the groundwater flow is from north to south.
He added that because landfills generally leech out in 30 to 35 years, the site isn’t likely to get any worse. Still, he said a comprehensive assessment of the area, which has never been conducted, will begin next month. The county will perform the testing, with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection monitoring the site for a full year. If dangerous contamination levels are discovered at any point, the development will be shut down.
By the spring, Saathoff will know if his solar farm project is a go. He explained that solar panel technology isn’t feasible now, but that may change with government subsidies. “We’re still trying to figure out the government incentives for this,” Saathoff said. “We will always be aesthetically conscious. It will not be a very obtrusive use. It’s just to create clean energy that would be sold back to the grid.”
If the solar farm doesn’t make sense financially, Saathoff is prepared to opt for a two-story, mixed-use business park. The 290,000-square-foot center would include 77,000 square feet, or 25 percent of the total, of commercial retail space located on the ground floor, with offices upstairs. The rest of the development would be flexible space, offering both industrial and warehouse units.
The retail and offices would be along Lake Underhill Road, screening the industrial uses from public view. The flex space he envisions would house such uses as high-tech or woodworking, where an office is needed up front but the storage and workshop could be in the back. “This area is not serviced by flex-use space. The closest flex space is about five miles away,” Saathoff said. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of offices around here, but no flex space.”
He said the surrounding trees will be left as a buffer, with particular care taken to shield 13 houses that abut the property. But some residents, citing Legacy Middle School and children in the area, worry that this type of development would generate more traffic, particularly truck traffic. “We have a terrible traffic situation on Lake Underhill. Safety is a big concern here,” said Sharlene Dewitz, a resident of the Estates of Fieldstream.
Saathoff said a recent traffic study reported there is road capacity for a commercial development, acknowledging that a traffic signal my be needed at the entrance. Although the site is currently zoned for residential use — allowing up to 20 units per acre, or a total of 600 multifamily units — Saathoff stated that building homes on the site is not an option, due to environmental concerns.
Twedell explained that a commercial use is preferable to residential because business people wouldn’t spend as much time on site, limiting their potential exposure to contaminants. Orange County Commissioner Mildred Fernandez also is familiar with the history of this piece of property. She assures residents that their safety is of paramount importance.
“I am a mother. The same way I protect my children, the same way I will protect yours,” she said. The proposal is expected to come before the Board of County Commissioners for final approval on June 10.
