In consideration of the city of Riverview’s application to expand the Riverview landfill, I urge Wayne County to oppose this application request, and assist Riverview in developing a plan to transition the landfill to a healthier and more economically viable use.

As the landfill has a life of approximately 10 years remaining without an expansion, a decade is the right amount of time for Wayne County to transition into taking a visionary approach in redefining the Downriver area from heavy industry to waterfront revitalization — similar to how Wayne County has assisted the city of Detroit with revitalization of former industrial developments, through leveraging resources like the recent $750,000 grant given to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. In conjunction with programs like the Great Lakes Way, and the hundreds of millions of dollars being allocated to Michigan by the federal government for environmentally conscious development, now is the perfect time to course-correct and pursue a more robust regional economy strategy centered around outdoor recreation, mixed-use development, and automation-proof industry, like skilled trades and renewable energy.