The Planning Commission for the city of Oroville, Calif., voted unanimously against a proposal by a towing service to build an automobile dismantling/demolition facility on the outskirts of the town, located in northern California.
Jo Sherman, planning commissioner for Oroville, said there were three reasons the city rejected the proposal.
The first reason is the prevailing questions of whether the site earmarked for the yard would be the most advantageous location. The site, roughly 9.5 acres, is “the gateway to the city,” Sherman said. Even with fencing around the property, the consensus was that the location would not be an ideal place to highlight the city. Critics of the plan felt that even with restrictions, the yard would have a significant negative impact on air and water quality, as well as traffic and the general aesthetics of the area.
A second problem is that the proposed location would be in an area that includes some residential areas. The operation would be running at hours much longer than deemed ideal for the location.
A third reason for the Planning Commission turning down the project was the uncertainty by the owner of the proposed yard as to what the project would entail.
According to the Oroville Mercury Register, a report by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board and Butte County Air Quality Management District, Division of Environmental Health and Department of Development Services, found that the project, however, would have no significant impact on water quality, aesthetics, traffic and other concerns with proposed restrictions in place.