Jun 10, 2009 12:15 am US/Pacific
Supes Reverse Course On Petaluma Asphalt Plant
PETALUMA (BCN) ―
-
-
The Petaluma River near the site for a proposed asphalt plant.
CBS
Three of the five members of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Tuesday evening said they will not support approval of Dutra Materials Inc.'s proposed asphalt plant along the Petaluma River across from popular Shollenberger Park.
Supervisors Valerie Brown, Shirlee Zane and Efren Carrillo said they oppose the project. Supervisors Paul Kelley and Mike Kerns indicated their support.
A final vote is scheduled for July 21 when the supervisors will consider a general plan update.
Kelley directed county planning staff to draft two recommendations for that date: one denying approval of the project's design and use permit and the other approving the project with conditions.
In a 4-1 straw vote in February, the supervisors voted in favor of the Dutra Materials Inc.'s aggregate distribution and recycling plant with some changes and referred the issue back to the Planning Commission to consider noise standard issues.
In May the Planning Commission voted 3-2 to recommend the supervisors approve an amendment to the general land use element that would allow barge docking and off-loading operations to exceed noise standards.
County staffers had attached 144 conditions to the approval of a building and grading permit.
The plant along a scenic corridor in a scenic design area on 38 acres at Haystacks Landing would produce up to 664,000 tons of sand, asphalt and aggregate a year.
The contentious issue drew hundreds of people to the board's afternoon session today. Fewer than 100 were present when the hearing concluded this evening.
The Petaluma City Council opposes the plant and recycling center.
Environmentalists said the plant was the wrong use in the scenic area. They expressed concern for nearby wildlife, runoff into the river, toxins and air and noise pollution.
Dutra Materials Inc. said the plant would provide jobs and save the county millions of dollars in the cost of trucking asphalt to the county because it will provide construction material for local roads. The company said it would set aside half the 38 acres for wetlands.
Supervisors Brown and Zane said they are concerned about the plant's effects on area residents' health. Carrillo cited the division in the community on the issue for his lack of support for the project.
Supervisor Kerns, whose district includes the proposed plant, said no evidence was presented to validate fears about toxins, pollution and noxious odors, but he said he wants the conditions attached to a resolution supporting the project.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
Share your comments.
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments