South Modesto recycler seeks scrap-metal growth

A south Modesto business seeks a land-use permit for a scrap-metal recycling operation that generated complaints and a county code enforcement action in 2013.

The permit would allow Central Valley Recycling, at 524 S. Ninth St., to process up to 30,000 tons of recycled material per year. Central Valley is a California Redemption Value recycler and also takes in junk cars, appliances and steel.

According to application documents, the business has grown from processing 16,200 tons in 2009. It is required to have a county use permit for scrap-metal recycling because it’s in a commercial zone.

Stanislaus County code enforcement notified Central Valley in the fall of 2012 that its business license would not be renewed. An investigation had confirmed complaints that the business created noise and dust that was a nuisance for residents living east of the 2-acre site.

The Board of Supervisors allowed Central Valley to apply for a use permit and try to show it can minimize the effects on the neighborhood.

The recycler uses a grappler to crush and stack discarded vehicles. The proposed permit would require a 10-foot-high wall along the property’s east boundary to shield neighbors from the operation. Heavy equipment would be restricted to the west area of the property to reduce noise.

Large equipment and a metal baler could operate from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The permit would limit vehicle crushing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the same days.

The permit also would require landscaping and a system to retain stormwater. In February 2013, county environmental resources cited Central Valley for contaminated stormwater on the site.

Don Francis, who co-owns the business with his son, said engines and other parts are removed from vehicles before they are delivered to the business. The owners are seeking a permit for a higher tonnage of recyclables in case the market prices for metal improve, he said.

“If I am lucky, we now do about three cars in a day,” Francis said, noting that metal prices have dropped from $300 to $90 a ton. “I have an outside salesman and we are bringing in more accounts.”

The business has taken in more steel scrap lately. The metal from the crushed vehicles is transported to a company in Oakland, which shreds the metal and ships it to Japan, Francis said.

Central Valley had a monthly average of 2,700 tons of recycled materials in 2013 but the demand has fallen off, Francis said. In response to neighbors’ complaints, the business applies water to control dust, moved the metal operation toward the west side of the property, and spent $17,000 on a fence that is not see-through, he said.

The owners are willing to build the 10-foot-high wall but believe any shrubbery planted next to it will be stolen, Francis said.

The county’s staff has yet to make a recommendation on whether the Planning Commission should approve or deny the permit. An item on Thursday’s commission agenda is expected to be continued to May 7.

Supervisor Jim DeMartini, who represents the area, said scrap-metal recycling is not compatible with the commercial area. “The Planning Commission should take a close look at it,” he said. “That is more like heavy industry than recycling.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "South Modesto recycler seeks scrap-metal growth."