Supervisors delay vote on concrete-crushing facility
| Tuesday, Nov 03 2009 05:16 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Nov 03 2009 05:16 PM
A concrete-crushing plant proposed in Rosedale faces at least a four-month delay after Kern County supervisors struggled with a final decision on the project Tuesday.
Supervisors referred the project back to staffers and directed them to hire a consultant to study whether the project could be allowed to crush larger volumes of concrete over fewer days.
Supervisor Ray Watson hoped the change would reduce the impact of the project on the surrounding homeowners and build a compromise.
But Planning Department special projects chief Lorelei Oviatt said staff needed to study the impacts of the new crushing plan before it could deliver supervisors enough data to make an informed decision.
Supervisor Mike Maggard said he isn't sure there is a win-win decision to be culled from the zoning mess in the area.
The project is proposed by trucking company owner Mark Polhamus on Rosedale Lane north of Hageman Road near Allen Road.
It sits in a small triangle of industrial zoning that has been surrounded on nearly every side by new homes approved by city and county officials in recent years.
"Quite simply put it's too close to neighborhoods," said neighborhood activist Carol Bender in summarizing the concerns of the neighbors.
"This was an industrial area. Homes should have never been allowed to be built here," said neighborhood spokesman Curtis Pierce.
But he said the homeowners shouldn't have to pay for bad city and county decisions and urged the Board of Supervisors to eliminate the industrial zoning over the whole area.
Roger McIntosh, speaking for Polhamus, argued that his client shouldn't have to pay the price for the encroachment of homes onto the long-term industrial area.
