For the Planning Commission Meeting of December 8, 2021
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Sean M. Moore, AICP, Community Development Director
FROM: Dionne Harris, Senior Planner
Title
Conditional Development Permit No. 2021-0018: A request to establish a plastic conversion to fuel processing facility within an existing 14,779 square foot building on 1.07 gross acres of land (APN: 0258-181-09) located at 2259 S. Vista Avenue within the Heavy Industrial (H-IND) land use district of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan (“Project” or “project”). This project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities Projects) of the State CEQA Guidelines.
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APPLICANT:
Enerra Corporation, Inc., 2259 S. Vista Avenue, Bloomington, CA,92316.
LOCATION:
The project site is located at 2259 S. Vista Avenue, which is located at the east of Vista Avenue and 956 feet south of Slover Avenue (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
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BACKGROUND:
Surrounding Land Use and Zoning
|
Location |
Existing Land Use |
Zoning |
|
Site |
Fuel Processing Facility |
Heavy Industrial (H-IND) |
|
North |
Machine Shop |
Heavy Industrial (H-IND) |
|
East |
Old Dominion Freight Line |
Heavy Industrial (H-IND) |
|
South |
Auto Refinisher |
Heavy Industrial (H-IND) |
|
West |
Maintenance Shop |
Heavy Industrial (H-IND) |
General Plan Designations
|
Location |
General Plan Designation |
|
Site |
General Industrial |
|
North |
General Industrial |
|
East |
General Industrial |
|
South |
General Industrial |
|
West |
General Industrial |
Site Characteristics
The project site is a 1.07-acre irregular-shaped piece of land comprised of one (1) parcel. The property is fully developed with a 14,779 square foot warehouse. It was previously occupied by a vehicle services repair shop up until October 2018. The project site is bound on the west by South Vista Avenue. To the north there is a machine shop, to the east is Old Dominion Freight Line, to the west is a maintenance shop, and south of the project site vehicle refinishers shop. The zoning of the project site and the properties to the north, south, east, and west is Heavy Industrial (H-IND) within the Agua Mansa Specific Plan.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
Enerra proposes to establish a plastic conversion to fuel processing facility within an existing 14,779 square foot building. The facility will convert recycled plastic waste into renewable energy in the form of natural gas, kerosene, diesel, gasoline fuels and petroleum. The Project will convert waste plastic into renewable fuels using a proprietary non-catalytic thermo/physical process. The project site is fully developed with no exterior modifications required to the facility. There are no required infrastructure upgrades. Existing utilities upgrades will not be required for the installation of this equipment. The tenant improvements will consist of electrical modifications made to the existing facility to power the new equipment, all applicable trade permits will be procured prior to performing electrical modifications, adding pipe supports to install the processing system, and the containment area. As fuels are produced, they are continually transferred directly to the multi-Compartment Fuel Tanker Trailer, the tanker trailer will be staged outside the building, inside of the containment area until full.
Entitlement Requirements
According to Table 8 within Section 4.2.2.C. of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan, any use that involves the processing of oil and/or gas is subject to the approval of a Conditional Development Permit. The following entitlements are required for the applicant’s proposal:
• Conditional Development Permit: The development and operation of the Project within the H-IND zone of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan requires the approval of a Conditional Development Permit, pursuant to Section 18.112.030A(7) of the Rialto Municipal Code.
Parking Calculations
The development has twenty-two (22) parking spaces including one (1) ADA parking space, shown in the site plan (Exhibit B). Enerra has also executed a Reciprocal Parking Agreement with the property owner of 2773 S. Vista Avenue, Bloomington CA, 92316. The development to the south, 2773 S. Vista Avenue, Bloomington CA, 92316, has forty (40) parking spaces. This quantity exceeds the minimum parking requirement with the Reciprocal Parking Agreement, as shown in the parking calculation chart below and as required by Table 10 of Section 4.2.2.D. of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan:
|
Type of Use |
Floor Area (square feet) |
Parking Ratio |
Number of spaces required |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Office |
2,000 |
1/300 |
7 |
|
Warehouse Warehouse Storage |
10,000 1,900 400 |
1/1000 1/2000 1/1000 |
10 1 1 |
|
Reciprocal Parking Total Parking Spaces Required/Total Provided |
|
|
40 19/62 |
|
|
|
|
|
Enerra Operation
The Enerra plastic waste processing facility will operate 6am - 10 pm, seven (7) days a week, with a staff of up to twelve (12) employees spread out over two (2) shifts. Each truckload of plastic feedstock will weigh approximately 24 tons. Each load will provide approximately 40 bales of repurposed plastic weighing approximately 1,200 lbs. each. Each load of baled plastic feedstock can be stored in a footprint of approximately 200 sf when stacked four bales high, approximately 8' in height. Each truckload of repurposed plastic feedstock can be stored in a 200 square foot area equivalent to .012 tons per square foot. The facility intends to store 1-3 weeks of repurposed plastic feedstock, approximately 6-20 days of production. The repurposed plastic materials will be stored indoors.
Between 2,800-4,000 tons of waste of plastic from landfills will be repurposed and converted to ready to use fuel(s) kerosene, diesel, and gasoline on an annual basis. Fuels are not stored inside the building; they are continuously pumped to a Multi-Compartment Fuel Tanker Trailer staged on site. Once the tanker trailer has been filled, the fuel is transported off site for distribution. Each ton of repurposed waste plastic will produce approximately 112 gallons of Gasoline, 55 gallons of Diesel, 23-25 gallons of Kerosene, and 40 lbs. of paraffin.
One tanker will be staged on site during batch operations. As fuels are produced, they are continually transferred directly to the Multi-Compartment Fuel Trailer, the tanker trailer will be staged outside the building, inside of the containment area until full. The full tanker will be removed and replaced with an empty tanker, and fuel production will be resumed.
Traffic / Access
On average, the truck traffic will be very minimal. There will be around 1-2 truckloads in and out per day. It is estimated that 1-2 Tankers per week will be produced and transferred off site, contingent upon process operations. These will be delivered by truck and trailer weekly/bi-weekly. Trucks will be off loaded using a forklift, baled materials will be staged inside the building before processing as indicated on the drawings. Each truckload will provide approximately 6 days/22 tons of feed stock. Deliveries of repurposed plastic feedstock will be coordinated and received in early hours to avoid traffic impacts to the surrounding complex. The products will be pre-sold and loaded into mobile containers to be distributed locally and regionally. Daily distribution will eliminate the need for extensive on-site storage. The system will be run in sequenced batches on a single or double shifts basis. Access will only be from Vista Avenue.
Land Use Compatibility
The project, as submitted, meets or exceeds the applicable development criteria of the H-IND zone and the design criteria contained in Chapter 18.61 (Design Guidelines) of the Rialto Municipal Code. The proposed land use is consistent with the H-IND zone and the surrounding land uses. The nearby area is predominantly zoned for and developed with heavy industrial uses, and as a result, there are no sensitive land uses near the project site. The project will provide a benefit to the community and the region, as it will contribute towards the processing and recycling of plastic waste the State of California made mandatory with the adoption of Assembly Bill 1826 on September 28, 2014.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The project is consistent with the following goals of the Land Use Element and the Economic Development Element of the Rialto General Plan:
Goal 2-34: Achieve waste recycling levels that meet or exceed State mandates. Achieve maximum waste recycling in all sectors of the community: residential, commercial, industrial, institutional and construction.
Goal 3-10: Minimize the volume of solid waste that enters local or regional landfills.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
California Environmental Quality Act
The project is categorically exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301, Existing Facilities, Class 1, which allows for the exemption of a project consisting of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures. The Project generated emissions would be primarily associated with the operation of the process heater to convert plastic to fuels, fugitive emissions from process leaks, gasoline vapors from tank loading and storage, and motor vehicle use. Daily emissions attributable to the Project are compared to the SCAQMD CEQA significance thresholds. The Project emissions would not exceed SCAQMD thresholds.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City published a public hearing notice for proposed project in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper, posted copies of the public hearing notice outside the Council Chambers and the City Clerk’s Office, and mailed public hearing notices to all property owners within 660 feet of the project site, as required by State law.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission:
• Find that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301, Existing Facilities, of the State CEQA Guidelines; and
• Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit C) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 2021-0037 to request to allow the establish a plastic conversion to fuel processing facility within an existing 14,779 square foot building located at 2259 S. Vista Avenue (APN: 0258-181-09) within the Heavy Industrial (H-IND) land use district of the Agua Mansa Specific Plan, subject to the findings and conditions therein.