Oceanside residents oppose concrete plant

By: DAVID STERRETT - Staff Writer | Tuesday, January 9, 2007 10:56 PM PST ∞

OCEANSIDE -- Robertson's Ready Mix's presentation Tuesday night to the Loma Alta Neighborhood Association about its plans for concrete plant in central Oceanside did little to quell the strong opposition of many residents to the project.

About 80 residents attended the 90-minute meeting at the Apostolic Assembly on MacDonald Street to hear about the proposal for a concrete plant on a 3-acre site on Industry Street just southwest of the intersection of Oceanside Boulevard and El Camino Real.

The vacant site was previously used to manufacture wooden support beams. It is zoned for industrial but is located about a half-mile from the Loma Alta neighborhood bound by Canyon Drive to the west, Mission Avenue to the north, Foussat Road to the east and Oceanside Boulevard to the south.

Representatives of Robertson's, a Corona-based company, told residents that they planned to build a modern facility that would keep all cement-mixing operations and loading of trucks indoors to avoid creating much noise, dust or pollution.

The plant will generate about $230,000 a year for the city in sales tax revenue and would not significantly affect traffic on local streets, company officials said Tuesday.

But residents raised questions about how their central Oceanside neighborhood could deal with the 400 daily truck trips expected to be created by the nearby concrete plant.

"I don't think their illustrations or revolutionary designs swayed the community one bit," said Greg Root, president of the Neighborhood Association with roughly 200 members. "The overarching concern of this community is the additional traffic generated by the project."

Root urged residents of the association to oppose the project when it goes before the City Council for approval Feb. 21.

The Planning Commission voted 4-3 on Oct. 23 to approve the plans for the project that includes a 30-foot-high storage area, a 40-foot-high batch plant with two 65-foot silos, and an office.

"All of our operations will be indoors, and this will capture all of the dust and noise," said Bernie Rhinerson, a San Diego consultant who was representing Robertson's. "There is no plant like this anywhere in the nation, and it will be a model for all concrete plants."

Rhinerson assured the residents that the concrete plant wouldn't pollute the nearby Loma Alta Creek.

He said all of the buildings will be at least 200 feet away from the creek, and there would be basins to catch all the runoff water before it reached the creek.

Rhinerson also provided residents with copies of a Nov. 3 letter from the San Diego Water Quality Control Board to community activist Nadine Scott about the proposed project. The consultant highlighted the portion of the letter that states: "The Regional Board has concluded that compliance by Robertson's with the State and City of Oceanside requirements will mitigate potential impacts to water quality from the project."

Robertson's plans to use 15 new trucks to deliver concrete from the plant, said Rhinerson. He said all of the trucks meet environmental standards, and five of the trucks will actually be hybrids run partially by electricity.

The company plans to operate from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and trucks would be allowed to deliver sand or gravel as late as 9 p.m.

"Yes, you will see cement trucks, but they won't create traffic jams," Rhinerson said to the residents.

Once Rhinerson finished the presentation, residents bombarded him with questions critical of the project.

"Obviously, you don't live in Oceanside," said Phil Hyta, a Loma Alta resident who said the trucks delivering the gravel and sand would create dust and noise when rumbling through the community.

Many residents said the project wouldn't fit in the area.

"We don't need another cement plant around here," said resident Tommy Perrigo, who added there were two other cement plants within a couple miles of the site.

Robertson's officials said there is tremendous demand for concrete in Oceanside and surrounding communities. Company officials said Robertson's is a privately owned business with more than 30 years of experience and more than 40 facilities, including ones in San Clemente and Miramar.

"You don't stay in business for 30 years and not do things right," Rhinerson said. "They will be a good neighbor in Oceanside."

Rhinerson said that Oceanside planning staffers directed the firm to build the facility in the area zoned for industrial business and pointed out that Vulcan Materials Co. operates a concrete plant on the neighboring property.

But residents living north of Oceanside Boulevard said that heavy industries should not be built less than a mile from their homes.

"This part of the neighborhood needs to be rezoned because a lot of people don't want heavy industry nearby," said Robin Rauschl, who has lived in Loma Alta for 23 years. "The presentation didn't change my opinion a least bit."

Oceanside residents aren't the first to oppose Robertson's move to the community.

In the last two years, the company has proposed concrete batch plants in Vista and San Marcos, but residents of both cities mounted strong opposition to the projects because of concerns about increased traffic, noise and dust. The company withdrew its application in San Marcos because of resident opposition, and the Vista City Council voted 4-1 against a concrete plant last November.

Robertson's received a 3-2 approval from the Escondido City Council in August to build a cement plant in the city's industrial area.

The meeting Tuesday in Oceanside was an attempt by the company to reach out and work with residents, Rhinerson said.

Before beginning the presentation, Rhinerson asked residents to listen to the facts and the company's proposal.

"We know most of you have made up your mind and think this is a terrible idea," Rhinerson said. "But my goal is hopefully this will open your minds a little and you will listen to what I have to say."

To get more information about he project, he encouraged residents to go to the Web site, www.cleanindustry4oceanside.com.

The Loma Alta Association has information on the project at its Web site: www.lomaalta.org.

-- Contact staff writer David Sterrett at (760) 901-4067 or dsterrett@nctimes.com.