Proposal to put waste-processing plant in Stanwood dropped

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 28, 2018

STANWOOD — A controversial proposal to build a privately operated plant to process human waste in downtown Stanwood has been withdrawn.

McDay Holdings in 2016 sought permission to build a plant that would have taken in waste from private septic systems. The plan was withdrawn Feb. 13 in an email to the city. Applicant Greg Gilday did not give a reason.

Opponents of the McDay Septage Receiving Plant and Biosolids Processing Facility had voiced concerns over water quality, odors and potential negative impacts on nearby businesses and property values. They also noted the site would have been in the Stillaguamish River floodplain. It would have been built at the south corner of 270th Street and 84th Avenue. A Facebook group, created for people who were against the project, gained nearly 600 members.

Gilday and his business partner on the proposal, James McCafferty, said the plant’s design would have withstood a flood, with key components built above the flood level. They also said they’d done extensive research on issues such as smell and safety, and wanted to provide more jobs in Stanwood through development of the property. That did little to reassure the critics.

Last year, leaders approved updates to Stanwood’s city code so that private septage or sewage processing facilities are not permitted in the city. The rule change was not retroactive, so the McDay application continued through the permitting process.

The city now is refunding $975 in application and review fees, according to a Feb. 14 email accepting the withdrawal.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.