Dutra plant gets tentative OK

<p>A divided Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Tuesday tentatively approved the proposed Dutra asphalt plant near Petaluma in a lengthy hearing that served as a debate and referendum on different ways to shape the county's economic future and oversee its environment.</p><p>Supervisors Mike Kerns, Paul Kelley and Efren Carrillo voted for the project, while Supervisors Shirlee Zane and board chairwoman Valerie Brown voted against it.</p><p>The vote came after more than three hours of public testimony from supporters and opponents who numbered in the hundreds and formed an overflow audience at the board chambers in Santa Rosa.</p><p>Carrillo, the swing vote, gave an impassioned defense of his decision, saying it stemmed from his upbringing near a Santa Rosa asphalt plant in a low-income neighborhood where opposition to such industrial projects was either unheard or unwarranted.</p><p>“I can't understand the distinction between wanting certain things, needing certain things and not understanding where they come from,” he said.</p><p>“We're discussing preservation of local roads, ADA-accessible parking lots, bicycle and walking trails.”</p><p>Zane and Brown said they had lingering concerns about the plant's impact on public health and scenery. “I can't in my heart go with a project that may have deleterious effects,” said Brown.</p><p>Dutra supporters, who wore green stickers promoting the plant, said it would be a vital local source of both construction material and jobs for the recession-wracked building industry.</p><p>“Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. We need jobs,” said Chris Snyder, a representative of the Operating Engineers Local 3.</p><p>Opponents who held signs and wore their own stickers sought to persuade supervisors that they were not against asphalt plants in general. Rather, they said, the Dutra site, on 37 acres along the Petaluma River near Shollenberger Park, is ill-suited for industrial activity that could harm the environment and undermine another another economic base: tourism.</p><p>“Petaluma is the gateway to Wine Country. Why would you want to add an asphalt plant there?” asked Connie Madden, a Petaluma resident.</p><p>The proposed plant would replace the former nearby Dutra asphalt facility on South Petaluma Boulevard. It has been in the planning pipeline for five years and had been before the board of supervisors several times.</p><p>Revisions to the project sought to address concerns about potential impacts on scenery, noise levels and air and water quality.</p><p>Silos height limits were lowered 14 feet to 62 feet, a recycled-material crushing operation was eliminated and a barge off-loading site moved to a nearby industrial dock operated by Shamrock Materials. Aggregate from that location will be moved to the asphalt plant by conveyor belt under the proposal approved Tuesday.</p><p>Dutra representatives said the new design would lower plant emissions and reduce truck traffic.</p><p>“We worked really hard to put together a project that addressed community concerns,” said spokeswoman Aimi Dutra. “It's been a lengthy process and we'll be happy to close this chapter at the end of the year.”</p><p>Supervisors are set to formalize their vote at their Dec. 14 meeting.</p><p>Opponents suggested that a legal challenge is likely. They had asked for a postponement of Tuesday's hearing to allow for more time to review the project's environmental documents.</p><p>“The county failed to do its due diligence and find a location where an asphalt plant should be located,” said David Keller of the Petaluma River Council.</p><p>The project was opposed by several city councils, including those in Cotati and Petaluma. Petaluma Mayor and south county supervisorial candidate Pam Torliatt spoke in opposition to the project Tuesday. Her rival, fellow city councilmember David Rabbitt, also opposes the project.</p><p>Kerns, who represents the area and is retiring at the end of this year, called the vote “the most difficult decision of my nearly 12 years on this board.”</p><p>“We have studied this issue to death,” he said, acknowledging points made by both sides. Nevertheless, he added, “it's a smaller project, the impacts have been reduced and the use is consistent with facilities in the area.”</p><p>The tentative 3-2 decision approved the project, a general plan amendment, a use permit and the environmental impact report.</p><p>A divided Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Tuesday tentatively approved the proposed Dutra asphalt plant near Petaluma in a lengthy hearing that served as a debate and referendum on different ways to shape the county's economic future and oversee its environment.</p><p>Supervisors Mike Kerns, Paul Kelley and Efren Carrillo voted for the project, while Supervisors Shirlee Zane and board chairwoman Valerie Brown voted against it.</p><p>The vote came after more than three hours of public testimony from supporters and opponents who numbered in the hundreds and formed an overflow audience at the board chambers in Santa Rosa.</p><p>Carrillo, the swing vote, gave an impassioned defense of his decision, saying it stemmed from his upbringing near a Santa Rosa asphalt plant in a low-income neighborhood where opposition to such industrial projects was either unheard or unwarranted.</p><p>“I can't understand the distinction between wanting certain things, needing certain things and not understanding where they come from,” he said.</p><p>“We're discussing preservation of local roads, ADA-accessible parking lots, bicycle and walking trails.”</p><p>Zane and Brown said they had lingering concerns about the plant's impact on public health and scenery. “I can't in my heart go with a project that may have deleterious effects,” said Brown.</p><p>Dutra supporters, who wore green stickers promoting the plant, said it would be a vital local source of both construction material and jobs for the recession-wracked building industry.</p><p>“Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. We need jobs,” said Chris Snyder, a representative of the Operating Engineers Local 3.</p><p>Opponents who held signs and wore their own stickers sought to persuade supervisors that they were not against asphalt plants in general. Rather, they said, the Dutra site, on 37 acres along the Petaluma River near Shollenberger Park, is ill-suited for industrial activity that could harm the environment and undermine another another economic base: tourism.</p><p>“Petaluma is the gateway to Wine Country. Why would you want to add an asphalt plant there?” asked Connie Madden, a Petaluma resident.</p><p>The proposed plant would replace the former nearby Dutra asphalt facility on South Petaluma Boulevard. It has been in the planning pipeline for five years and had been before the board of supervisors several times.</p><p>Revisions to the project sought to address concerns about potential impacts on scenery, noise levels and air and water quality.</p><p>Silos height limits were lowered 14 feet to 62 feet, a recycled-material crushing operation was eliminated and a barge off-loading site moved to a nearby industrial dock operated by Shamrock Materials. Aggregate from that location will be moved to the asphalt plant by conveyor belt under the proposal approved Tuesday.</p><p>Dutra representatives said the new design would lower plant emissions and reduce truck traffic.</p><p>“We worked really hard to put together a project that addressed community concerns,” said spokeswoman Aimi Dutra. “It's been a lengthy process and we'll be happy to close this chapter at the end of the year.”</p><p>Supervisors are set to formalize their vote at their Dec. 14 meeting.</p><p>Opponents suggested that a legal challenge is likely. They had asked for a postponement of Tuesday's hearing to allow for more time to review the project's environmental documents.</p><p>“The county failed to do its due diligence and find a location where an asphalt plant should be located,” said David Keller of the Petaluma River Council.</p><p>The project was opposed by several city councils, including those in Cotati and Petaluma. Petaluma Mayor and south county supervisorial candidate Pam Torliatt spoke in opposition to the project Tuesday. Her rival, fellow city councilmember David Rabbitt, also opposes the project.</p><p>Kerns, who represents the area and is retiring at the end of this year, called the vote “the most difficult decision of my nearly 12 years on this board.”</p><p>“We have studied this issue to death,” he said, acknowledging points made by both sides. Nevertheless, he added, “it's a smaller project, the impacts have been reduced and the use is consistent with facilities in the area.”</p><p>The tentative 3-2 decision approved the project, a general plan amendment, a use permit and the environmental impact report.</p><p>A divided Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Tuesday tentatively approved the proposed Dutra asphalt plant near Petaluma in a lengthy hearing that served as a debate and referendum on different ways to shape the county's economic future and oversee its environment.</p><p>Supervisors Mike Kerns, Paul Kelley and Efren Carrillo voted for the project, while Supervisors Shirlee Zane and board chairwoman Valerie Brown voted against it.</p><p>The vote came after more than three hours of public testimony from supporters and opponents who numbered in the hundreds and formed an overflow audience at the board chambers in Santa Rosa.</p><p>Carrillo, the swing vote, gave an impassioned defense of his decision, saying it stemmed from his upbringing near a Santa Rosa asphalt plant in a low-income neighborhood where opposition to such industrial projects was either unheard or unwarranted.</p><p>“I can't understand the distinction between wanting certain things, needing certain things and not understanding where they come from,” he said.</p><p>“We're discussing preservation of local roads, ADA-accessible parking lots, bicycle and walking trails.”</p><p>Zane and Brown said they had lingering concerns about the plant's impact on public health and scenery. “I can't in my heart go with a project that may have deleterious effects,” said Brown.</p><p>Dutra supporters, who wore green stickers promoting the plant, said it would be a vital local source of both construction material and jobs for the recession-wracked building industry.</p><p>“Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. We need jobs,” said Chris Snyder, a representative of the Operating Engineers Local 3.</p><p>Opponents who held signs and wore their own stickers sought to persuade supervisors that they were not against asphalt plants in general. Rather, they said, the Dutra site, on 37 acres along the Petaluma River near Shollenberger Park, is ill-suited for industrial activity that could harm the environment and undermine another another economic base: tourism.</p><p>“Petaluma is the gateway to Wine Country. Why would you want to add an asphalt plant there?” asked Connie Madden, a Petaluma resident.</p><p>The proposed plant would replace the former nearby Dutra asphalt facility on South Petaluma Boulevard. It has been in the planning pipeline for five years and had been before the board of supervisors several times.</p><p>Revisions to the project sought to address concerns about potential impacts on scenery, noise levels and air and water quality.</p><p>Silos height limits were lowered 14 feet to 62 feet, a recycled-material crushing operation was eliminated and a barge off-loading site moved to a nearby industrial dock operated by Shamrock Materials. Aggregate from that location will be moved to the asphalt plant by conveyor belt under the proposal approved Tuesday.</p><p>Dutra representatives said the new design would lower plant emissions and reduce truck traffic.</p><p>“We worked really hard to put together a project that addressed community concerns,” said spokeswoman Aimi Dutra. “It's been a lengthy process and we'll be happy to close this chapter at the end of the year.”</p><p>Supervisors are set to formalize their vote at their Dec. 14 meeting.</p><p>Opponents suggested that a legal challenge is likely. They had asked for a postponement of Tuesday's hearing to allow for more time to review the project's environmental documents.</p><p>“The county failed to do its due diligence and find a location where an asphalt plant should be located,” said David Keller of the Petaluma River Council.</p><p>The project was opposed by several city councils, including those in Cotati and Petaluma. Petaluma Mayor and south county supervisorial candidate Pam Torliatt spoke in opposition to the project Tuesday. Her rival, fellow city councilmember David Rabbitt, also opposes the project.</p><p>Kerns, who represents the area and is retiring at the end of this year, called the vote “the most difficult decision of my nearly 12 years on this board.”</p><p>“We have studied this issue to death,” he said, acknowledging points made by both sides. Nevertheless, he added, “it's a smaller project, the impacts have been reduced and the use is consistent with facilities in the area.”</p><p>The tentative 3-2 decision approved the project, a general plan amendment, a use permit and the environmental impact report.</p>