THE DUTRA MATERIALS ASPHALT PLANT
THE PROJECT
From the Sonoma County Planning Commission Staff Report, 7 February 2008:
The project site involves three properties totaling 37.96 acres and consists of the construction and operation of an asphalt batch plant, an aggregate distribution facility, and a concrete and asphalt recycling facility.
[Project would be directly across the Petaluma River from Shollenberger Park.]
From the Sonoma County Planning Commission Staff Report, 21 August 2008:
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission hold a public meeting [final meeting scheduled for 16 October 2008] and recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt a Statement of Overriding Consideration after making findings provided in the draft Resolution and approve the following….
Approve the Use permit and Design Review Permit for an asphalt batch plant with a maximum production capacity of 250,000 tons a year, an aggregate distribution facility with a maximum annual capacity of 250,000 tons, and a recycling operation with an annual maximum capacity of 150,000 tons, resulting in a facility with a total capacity of 650,000 tons per year, subject to the conditions in Exhibit A [mitigation measures].
ALTERNATIVES
1. The Planning Commission could recommend approval of the project with modified conditions and findings.
a. The Planning Commission could find that the project as proposed by the applicant, with no limitations on nighttime operations for off-loading of barged materials, is more appropriate and will result in equal or greater public benefits to those listed above [Dutra Materials] and make a recommendation to the Board Board of Supervisors] to approve that option; or
b. The Planning Commission could find that the limitation on nighttime off- loading is not a feasible mitigation measure, due to the high tide fluctuations and need for nighttime asphalt operations, and approve the project without limitations or allow some flexibility and a limited number of night operations.
c. The Planning Commission could find that the project benefits do not outweigh all of the significant unavoidable impacts for approval of the project. Instead, the Commission could recommend Alternative C The Modified Site Plan Alternative, which includes the elimination of the recycling operations and the relocation of the plant farther south, as a justifiable alternative due to a reduction in some of the significant impacts. [Scaled back project]
d. The Planning Commission could find that the project benefits do not outweigh the significant unavoidable impacts for the project or any alternatives and make a recommendation to deny the project. [No project]