Coffin Butte Landfill
Coffin Butte Landfill
JUMP TO: About the landfill | CUP application timeline | The decision process | Benton County Code | Background: BCTT
Current status
The written decision was finalized and findings adopted on Monday, November 17 at 9 a.m.
Board of Commissioners public hearing information
The hearing will include presentations by the County’s Planning Division and the applicant, followed by verbal public testimony and a final rebuttal by the applicant.
The full schedule is expected to be as follows. These dates are subject to change. Any changes will be noted here and announced to the public.
Wednesday, Oct. 15
County published a staff report considering evidence submitted by the applicant and public since the start of the appeal. Registration for verbal testimony opened at 8 a.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 5:30 – 10 p.m.
First day of public hearing: presentations by the County and the applicant followed by the start of verbal public testimony
Location: Benton County Fairgrounds Auditorium, 110 SW 53rd Street, Corvallis
View meeting recording
Thursday, Oct. 23, 5:30 – 10 p.m.
Second day of public hearing: verbal public testimony concludes; questions posed for applicant to address in written rebuttal
Location: Benton County Fairgrounds Auditorium, 110 SW 53rd Street, Corvallis
View meeting recording
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 4 p.m.
Deadline to submit written testimony responding to documents and evidence presented during the two nights of hearings before the Board of Commissioners
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 1 p.m.
Deliberations and decision by Board of Commissioners
Location: Kalapuya Building, 4500 SW Research Way, Corvallis
View meeting recording
Monday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m.
Board of Commissioners adopts final written decision
Location: Kalapuya Building, 4500 SW Research Way, Corvallis
View meeting recording
In this hearing, the Board of Commissioners will consider all the evidence presented in the previous hearing before the Planning Commission – including verbal testimony captured in meeting recordings – and will consider new evidence submitted while the record is open prior to and new evidence and testimony presented during the hearing.
BCC 51.840 requires that the Board of Commissioners review the Planning Commission record, and must also consider any new evidence or testimony submitted into the record. To facilitate that review of the Planning Commission record, the entire record of the Planning Commission decision has been placed into the record before the Board of Commissioners and is part of the record of the county’s entire proceeding on the application. Because all of the evidence presented to the Planning Commission is already in the record and available to the Board of Commissioners, there is no need to re-enter or verbally repeat that testimony or evidence before the Board of Commissioners.
Verbal testimony
The sign-up window for all verbal testimony is closed.
Written testimony
At the end of the second night of hearings on October 23, 2025, pursuant to ORS 197.797(4)(b) the Board of Commissioners left the written record open until Wednesday, October 29 at 4 p.m. for the limited purpose of responding to documents and evidence submitted during the two nights of hearings before the Board.
Responses to documents and evidence submitted during the two nights of hearings must be submitted in hard copy (physical copy) and received by the Board of Commissioners in the Kalapuya Building at 4500 SW Research Way, Suite 100, Corvallis, Oregon 97333, by 4 p.m. on Wednesday October 29, 2025. Office hours are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Electronic submissions will not be accepted. Any submissions received after October 29, 2025, at 4 p.m. will not be part of the record.
All written testimony should contain the following information to ensure receipt of the mailed notice of decision at the conclusion of the hearing:
- First and last name
- Mailing address (through city, state, ZIP and country)
- Email address
- Your position on the proposed expansion (proponent or opponent)
PAST Planning Commission hearing information
UPDATED 8/13/25: The Planning Commission has concluded their hearings and adopted a final decision on July 29. The decision was to deny this CUP application.
Planning Commission Hearing details
You can watch meeting recordings for all of the Planning Commission sessions below.
| Tuesday, April 29, 6 – 9 p.m. meeting recording | Day 1: Staff report |
| Thursday, May 1, 6 – 9 p.m. meeting recording | Day 2: Applicant presentation |
| Tuesday, May 6, 6 – 10 p.m. meeting recording | Day 3: Public testimony |
| NEW – Thursday, May 8, 6 p.m. – complete meeting recording | Day 4: Public testimony; applicant rebuttal |
| Tuesday, June 17, 6 p.m. meeting recording | Day 5: Planning Commission continued hearing to July 8 |
| Tuesday, July 8, 6-9 p.m. meeting recording | Day 6: Public hearing continues with presentations of supplemental staff report and applicant update. If time permits, begin public verbal testimony on new evidence ONLY. |
| Wednesday, July 9, 6-9 p.m. meeting recording | Day 7: Public hearing continues, including public testimony |
| Tuesday, July 22, 6 p.m. meeting recording | Day 8: Deliberations by Planning Commission. Open to the public, but no public comment will be heard. |
| Tuesday, July 29, 6 p.m. meeting recording | Day 9: Meeting to adopt final written decision and findings. |
About the Landfill
Coffin Butte Landfill in Benton County takes in waste from several counties in the mid-Willamette Valley and Oregon Coast.
History
The landfill was created in the1940s by the U.S. Army for waste disposal from the former Camp Adair. It was expanded and designated a regional landfill under the 1974 Chemeketa Region Solid Waste Management Program, a cooperative effort between Benton, Linn, Marion, Yamhill and Polk Counties. Valley Landfills, Inc., purchased it in 1975 for use as a municipal landfill. Republic Services, Inc. become the parent company of the landfill in a 2008 merger.
For more historical background see this detailed landfill timeline.
Size and Development
The landfill site comprises 740 acres. Of that, only 178 acres are permitted for waste disposal (including the quarry). The site includes 40 acres of wetlands and 556 acres dedicated to preservation and non-landfill operations.
Regulation
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) manages three permits for the facility that regulate air, land and water quality. Renewal of the Title V air quality permit is in process. (updated 4/30/25) Learn more >
Benton County regulates land use and building for the facility.
Understanding the Decision Process
Conditional Use Basics from Benton County Code
In accordance with Benton County Code 51.535, once an application moves forward to the decision process the County has 150 days to determine if the proposed use of the land meets criteria outlined in County Code.
Applicants are allowed to request up to 215 additional days for this process, for a total of 365. This can come as multiple requests throughout the process, so the end date can change multiple times during the process.
53.215 – Criteria
The decision to approve a conditional use permit shall be based on findings that:
(1) The proposed use does not seriously interfere with uses on adjacent property, with the character of the area, or with the purpose of the zone;
(2) The proposed use does not impose an undue burden on any public improvements, facilities, utilities, or services available to the area; and
(3) The proposed use complies with any additional criteria which may be required for the specific use by this code. [Ord. 90-0069]
53.220 – Conditions of Approval
Conditions may address, but are not limited to:
(1) Size & location of site.
(2) Road capacities in the area.
(3) Number & location of road access points.
(4) Location & amount of off-street parking.
(5) Internal traffic circulation.
(6) Fencing, screening & landscape
(7) Height & square footage of building.
(8) Signs.
(9) Exterior lighting.
(10) Noise, vibration, air pollution, & other environmental influences.
(11) Water supply & sewage disposal.
(12) Law enforcement & fire protection.
[Ord. 26; Ord. 90-0069]
Background: Benton County Talks Trash (BCTT)
Following a pair of conflicting 2021 decisions from its appointed solid waste and land use bodies, and in response to substantial community concern over a proposed landfill expansion, the Board of County Commissioners asked Oregon Consensus to help understand the situation and identify, if possible, a constructive path forward on solid waste and disposal, including at the Coffin Butte Landfill. Following the Board’s direction, a third-party facilitation team helped convene a community member-based Workgroup representing a diverse balance of perspectives and established a Charter and Bylaws to guide the work.
Dubbed “Benton County Talks Trash,” the workgroup was tasked with building “common understandings” around key topics and outlining the table of contents for a modern, long-term Sustainable Materials Management Plan. To complete these tasks, the workgroup established five subcommittees to dive into specific topic areas and then report back:
- Developing a Sustainable Materials Management Plan (SMMP)
- Estimating the Landfill Size, Capacity and Longevity
- Clarifying legal issues and reviewing land use law
- Determining the status of past land use Conditions of Approval
- Improving Community Education and Outreach