County Board of Supervisors Vote in Favor of Asphalt Plant

Facing a threat of litigation from project opponents, a split Sonoma, Calif., County Board of Supervisors signaled its intent to approve an asphalt plant and scheduled a formal vote on the proposal for March 24.

The decision came after more than five hours of public testimony on the project, with most of the 70-plus speakers opposed to the proposed location across the Petaluma River from Shollenberger Park.

But on a 4-1 vote, county supervisors said stronger oversight conditions could allow the asphalt plant and concrete recycling facility at the southern end of Petaluma Boulevard South to operate well with its surroundings.

Supervisor Mike Kerns, who represents southern Sonoma County, offered a list of additional conditions he said must be necessary for the plant’s operation.

Those included more landscaping to screen the project from nearby Highway 101, a rule that the plant must shut down if any of its emissions-containment equipment fails and an enclosure around a mixer and materials burner used for asphalt production.

"That’s the noisy part of the operation," Kerns said. "By enclosing it, that’s certainly going to cut down on the noise."

Three other supervisors endorsed the proposal on a straw vote, though west county Supervisor Efren Carrillo said he’d like to review additional information on the plant’s air quality impacts before making a final decision.

Richard Drury, an attorney representing opponents including former council member David Keller and former supervisor Bill Kortum, called the environmental impact report on the project faulty and said if it is approved, "We will have no alternative but to take this matter to court."

Central Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane cast the sole vote against the project. She said the county shouldn’t amend its recently adopted General Plan to allow the project on the site.

"We have to ask whether this proposal merits changing our vision for Sonoma County," Zane said. "I’d like to see us be more aggressive about the air quality. We can’t do enough to protect our public and our air."

County staff and consultants said the plant, which would operate during daylight hours five days a week except for certain overnight paving projects, would emit "significant and unavoidable" amounts of nitrous oxides, which contribute to the formation of ozone.

Many speakers from the overflow crowd at the supervisors’ chambers in Santa Rosa attacked the proposal from Dutra Materials, which operates a quarry in San Rafael and formerly operated an asphalt plant and quarry in southern Petaluma, was the applicant for the project.

Opponents of the current plant included representatives of business parks and apartments east of the site on Lakeville Highway, along with environmental groups and the Petaluma City Council.

Petaluma Mayor Pamela Torliatt noted all seven members of the council had signed a letter opposing Dutra’s plan and told supervisors that "two 70-foot-high asphalt silos" are not appropriate for the southern gateway to Petaluma.

"This is not the sign we want to have for entering the wine country or historic downtown Petaluma," Torliatt said.

Some opponents suggested moving the site to the former Pomeroy concrete plant on Hopper Street or completely enclosing it inside a large building.

Dutra employees and representatives of construction firms in the audience said the plant would provide a local source of asphalt for south county, reducing trucks trips from Santa Rosa or Vallejo.

"Closer asphalt is cheaper," said Doug Hamilton, owner of Oak Grove Construction. "Our people are laying asphalt all day long — not a single health problem has ever come from it."

The facility, which would include a barge offloading dock for raw materials, would produce about 225,000 tons of asphalt each year, part of 664,000 total tons of material to leave the site annually.

It would also include a materials recycling facility, where old asphalt and concrete is crushed to make material for new road projects. Petaluma (California) Argus Courier