GREENVILLE – State regulators voted unanimously Wednesday to rezone land in Washington County for a construction and demolition debris landfill.

The Land Use Regulation Commission rezoned 120 acres of a 4,700-acre forested parcel in Township 14 for the Marion Transfer Station. The rezoning is the first step in a lengthy approval process, the bulk of which will be handled now by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The transfer station, which has 16 member communities, handles between 20,000 and 30,000 tons of construction and demolition debris annually as well as about 6,000 tons of municipal solid waste.

In its recommendation to the full commission, LURC staff wrote that the proposed site is environmentally suitable for a landfill, is compatible with nearby land uses such as commercial logging and will not adversely affect natural or cultural resources.

The LURC staff said there was a demonstrated need for the project in the area in part because Marion Transfer Station’s existing 6-acre landfill, which was permitted in 1999, is approaching capacity.

The project has the support of numerous localities and government bodies, including the Washington County commissioners and the towns of Machias, Pembroke, Perry and Charlotte.

A group of residents as well as a group known as the Clean Water Coalition opposed the project, citing concerns about impacts on nearby wetlands, vernal pools and Atlantic salmon streams. The group also expressed concern about future expansion on the site.

LURC director Catherine Carroll said that the commission has handed over regulatory authority to the DEP because LURC does not have landfill permit review standards.

The DEP will be responsible for reviewing and approving all development permits needed to begin operations at the landfill.