In Memoriam

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UPDATE: February 6, 2005 - The San Martin Planning Advisory Committee (SMPAC) and the Santa Clara County Planning Commission (SCCPC) respectively voted to DENY the original expansion application for the San Martin Transfer Station, and APPROVE the 3 to 5 Year Interim Proposal (Alternative #4) which is commonly referred to as the 'Exit Strategy". From this point, there is a 15 day period for challenges to be filed. If none are filed, the 5 year countdown begins. However if any challenges are filed, the 5year starting date will not begin until all administrative and judicial challenges have expired or resolved by denial, dismissal with prejudice, or entry of final judgment or settlement in a manner that allows the Project to proceed.

COUNTY FACTS for the "5 Year Interim Proposal" (Alternative #4):

• Project Size:  Approximately 8.3 acres
• Operations: Management of a maximum of 500 tons of waste per day, including municipal solid waste, construction waste, food waste, recyclables, motor oil, inert materials, white goods, and universal wastes (low risk hazardous wastes).
• Peak Day Vehicles: Peak daily vehicles will be 495 vehicles per day. Weekday vehicles will be comprised of 110 company trucks/trailers and 385 public selfhaul vehicles.
• Peak weekend vehicles will be comprised of 495 public selfhaul vehicles.
• Improvements: Existing facilities would be used to handle the increased throughput and no alterations would be made at the transfer station site. All facilities on the site would remain on the site. The administration and maintenance facility would not be relocated to the southern parcel. Also, a change would be made to the onsite circulation to avoid exacerbating the existing problem of vehicles stacking on Llagas Avenue.
• Environmental Impacts:  The 5 year interim proposal would avoid the significant and unavoidable air quality and noise impacts of the full project.

SMNA COMMENTS: The above demonstrates that while the existing site and service area will not be expanded, the amount of truck traffic and the tonnage will be allowed to increase during this interim period.  However, these increases are not allowed until several mitigations are in place. The adopted mitigations will be posted as soon as they are available electronically.

UPDATE: January 2005 - The Final Environmental Empact Report (FEIR) was submitted for public review on Jan. 16, 2005.  Public hearings were held on Wednesday, February 2 and Thursday, February 3

UPDATE: January 2005 - Currently the site where the expansion was to take place (Leonard Property) is for sale and the company has moved the offices to a site in southern Gilroy. Transfer Station owners have stated the desire to also move all operations to that site (out of San Martin) during the next 5 years -- referred to as the 'exit strategy'.

UPDATE: October 2004 - Two DEIRs were presented during 2004. The first was in January and the revised DEIR was in August.  SMNA's position papers on both can be found under Exhibits.  County Planning is now preparing the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) utilizing community and agency input. No date has been set for presentation of the final EIR.

South Valley Transfer & Recycling Station Application :
File Number: `
SMPAC agenda 2/6/02 for Completeness Review: Application complete.

• Address: Current facility (14070 Llagas Avenue), purchase Leonard Property
  (13920   Llagas - other side of creek); connect parcels with foot bridge across the creek.
• Purpose: Applicant states other facilities will close in approx. 4 years and the San
   Martin facility will be the primary transfer point for all South Valley waste and
   recyclable materials.
• Parcel Size: Increase from 832 acres to 12.54 acres.
• Transfer Station: Increase from 16,000 - 23,600 sq. ft.
• Recycling: Increase from 4800 sq. ft. -13,300 sq. ft.
• Scale house: Increase from 300 - 660 sq. ft.
• Organics Canopy: Increase from 0 -11,800 sq. ft.
• Daily Intake: Increase from 250 tons -1000 tons/day.
• Zoning Overlay: Applicant says in industrial overlay. We believe the current facility is,
   but the Leonard Property is not.
• Daily Visits: Increase from 230 to 450 per day.
• Employees: Increase from 21 to 88.

Express your concerns regarding the increased flow of traffic on Llagas Avenue, San Martin Avenue and through the narrow bridges leading to the sites. Voice your desire to minimize the hazards to pedestrians, and the potential increases of noise, of littering and of refuse fallout from loaded trucks onto the residential walkways, especially those used by children going to and from school :

• Contact the County Planning Offices and express your opinion (Be sure to include the 8333-71-32-02P-02A-02EA file number, and both your name and how you can be contacted) :

Zachary Goldberg
Department of Planning & Development
Planning Office
70 W. Hedding St. East Wing, 7^th Floor,
San Jose, Ca. 95110

Or e-mail him here

• Contact the local County Supervisor to express your concerns :

Don Gage
Voice: 299-2323
Pager: 681-4609

Or e-mail him here

© Copyright 2007, Emilio Littel (emilio at littel dot com) / San Martin Neighborhood Alliance, All Rights Reserved

P.O. Box 886, San Martin, California 95046

408.683.2667