A developer criticized Mendocino County supervisors’ decision to delay action on a controversial 10-pump service station/convenience store along the Highway 101 freeway at Redwood Valley but buoyed critics’ hopes.
“In my opinion, a delay is better than allowing the gas station,” said Dolly Riley, president of the Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council, which has led the opposition to the multi-million project.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to hold off until a “date uncertain” from acting on Faizan Corporation’s appeal of the county Planning Commission’s denial of a required use permit.
Haji Alam, president of the Ukiah-based company, ripped the county’s delay, however. He contended that opponents hold a grudge against him and that he and his company are unfairly targeted.
“The board action will cost my company tens of thousands of dollars more,” complained Alam. He said the property is located along a freeway and “zoned for the intense use we are proposing.”
On Wednesday, Alam repeated an earlier warning that he may sell the property to local tribal interests, who would not be subject to the same restrictions he faces. “If that happens, the county gets nothing in the way of new revenue or services,” said Alam.
The stalemate follows months of debate over a project that has stirred fierce community debate, threats of possible litigation, and calls for one board member to recuse himself from the decision-making because of earlier public comments critical of associated traffic studies. Mendocino Coast Supervisor Ted Williams has ignored the recusal demands and participated in Tuesday’s discussion, which again focused on disputed traffic studies.
Williams and other county supervisors unanimously agreed Tuesday to continue the use permit issue to a “date uncertain.”
In the meantime, county planning officials and Caltrans representatives will review revised traffic studies submitted by Alam and incorporate them into a broader look, which supervisors said Tuesday is needed. Board members voted to keep the issue at their level instead of referring it to the county Planning Commission for further review.
The board’s decision “takes the project almost back to the starting line,” said county Planning Director Julia Krog.
Krog said the applicant will have to bear the burden of additional expenses, which are expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars more.
Developer Alam said he is “very upset” with the board’s decision, noting that the Redwood Valley project proposal is not new. “It won county approval in 2016, but the Covid epidemic delayed it. We were told we had to re-apply and start the process anew, which we have done,” he said.
Riley of the advisory council said residents oppose the project because they fear the 24-hour, 10-pump operation is too large for rural Redwood Valley, and lighting, noise, and increased traffic volume will disrupt the lives of surrounding property owners.
Riley said revised traffic studies done by a Santa Rosa consulting firm on Alam’s behalf were inadequate. She supported supervisors’ move to have a broader look provided by county and state officials.
“I believe they want to be safe from a lawsuit in their decision,” said Riley.
Why can’t we have a die hard developer and business men who give a shit?
Who in their right mind would contemplate starting or upgrading a business in Mendocino County? How can the County provide services only a County can provide when the declining revenue from property and sales tax is insufficient? A complete change in the mindset is needed not only with the BOS but everyone who thinks we can maintain the status quo they prefer.
You are right
In this same BOS meeting the supervisors are trying to figure out how to close a budget gap. The discussion included reduced services for residents of Mendocino county.
Mendocino county employees need a raise to keep up with the cost of living, which Mendocino county cannot do.
But Mendocino county officials waste millions of dollars every year figuring out how to put up so much red tape for businesses or potential businesses that they either leave or never show up.
Mendocino county will be bankrupt in a couple years if they continue down this path of being anti business.
In the very same meeting, after discussing needing more income, supervisor McGourty was discussing increased water storage. He followed that up with, but we don’t want to build more housing.
Mendocino County needs both revenue and housing. Building more housing makes sense.
Prosecutors allege this businessman and corporation failed to install, monitor, and calibrate on-site equipment designed to detect leaks. Also prosecutors allege they failed to comply with laws regulating hazardous materials and hazardous wastes at certain stations.
According to Mendofever article on 1/30/2023, they settled the lawsuits in Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, and other counties for $500,000.
Yes, Mendocino County seems to avoid good, sound, new businesses that would generate revenue that’s desperately needed. However, this is one company that should not be allowed to open any other gas stations, in Mendocino County, based on their prior violations, the dangerous traffic location, and the taxpayers that don’t want or need it!
The threats to sell to a tribe, the I’m being treated unfairly, doesn’t ring true. The board of supervisors really need to make the right decisions as they approve any new business, no matter how much money (revenue) is waived in their faces. Listen to your constituents
This is very sound logic, articulated wonderfully and also inspiring me to do some more research. Thankyou for the input!
Redwood valley is full of NIMBYs, they are hella dumb and don’t care about the county at large. Not in my back yard! Lol
Nimbly , Not In My Back Yard, was actually a movement created by the upper class neighborhood of San Fransisco (think Nancy Pelosi’s neighborhood) to keep the market place services and more importantly dirty people out of their nice neighborhood. So when you use “nimby” against normal people who just don’t want something dangerous in their town, you are actually hijacking the word and siding with the upper class. The homeowner right next to this planned station doesn’t look rich to me, not a nimby.
Would you want a big station next to your house? I wouldn’t. Next the rail trail through that end of Redwood Valley. Next thing you know, all those burned out properties in North RV start getting bought out and built and filling with people who have pushed out the locals, cuz they’re close to the trail, but not too close. And the rest is history. So whose side are you on? The Nimby or the Local? Cause you’re mixing the two, or at least you gotta research the Nimby thing
I agree, it’s catchy, but you’re using it wrong
I’m not sure you are correct about it NIMBY being used wrong in this situation. In fact, it is exactly correct. The neighbors are complaining about a gas station being built along side the highway. If it wasn’t in their backyard, they wouldn’t care.
It seems you don’t want that term used because it demonstrates exactly how weak the argument against the station is.
The gas station in Boonville, and Navarro are both LOCAL, and provide for the locals as well as tourists. I want to see them continue to do well, not be squashed by a big gas station like this. It’s not only unnecessary, it puts at risk small local businesses. And we need small local businesses, they are one of our last lines of defense against corporate hegemonic monopolies. When we are talking about millions, of dollars, there are better ways to pour that into communities, that are still also profitable. I want to see rich people getting more creative than the rinse and repeat that so often comes from the capatilistic parameters we live within. A rehabilitative botanical garden would probably not only help the local ecosystem, but also provide more fulfilling jobs for locals, and still make profit, while even further bringing more tourism and hence more money into the local economy. Things like this are what let us help ourselves by helping the world.
Storm- protecting local businesses instead of allowing new businesses to develop is one of the reasons the economy of Mendocino County has remained stagnant. That’s fine, as long as you are ok with limited, and reducing, services like law enforcement, parks, public health, etc.