ESCONDIDO — The city of Escondido is one of multiple entities that have expressed opposition to a proposal to build a recycling center for green waste and demolition and construction debris west of Interstate 15 and just north of Escondido.
The project, proposed by the Hilltop Group Inc., is a 139-acre recycling facility on Mesa Rock Road. If approved, the facility would process and recycle up to 174 tons per day of wood from construction debris and trees, converting it into mulch, as well as recycling concrete, asphalt, and other construction material.
Four entities have appealed a Feb. 5 decision by the San Diego County Planning Commission approving the project and rejecting an earlier round of appeals, including one by the city of Escondido.
The Twin Oaks Valley Community Sponsor Group, the Hidden Meadows Community Sponsor Group and the Montreux Homeowners Association have also appealed the decision.
Concerns mainly are centered on whether a full environmental impact report (EIR) should be required before moving forward with the project.
However, county and land use officials previously determined that the project is exempt from the requirement for an EIR because environmental impacts were analyzed in an EIR that was already prepared as part of an update of the county’s General Plan.
“The County of San Diego’s Planning and Development Services Division erroneously exempted the North County Environmental Resources land use development application (“Project”) from additional environment review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act,” the city of Escondido said in its appeal letter. “With narrow exceptions, CEQA requires an EIR whenever a public agency proposes to approve or carry out a project or activity that may have a significant effect on the environment.”
Mike Strong, Escondido’s director of community development, said that the city is not necessarily taking a position on the project itself, but would like to see the process being properly followed.
“The county must conduct an evaluation, which affords public participation, discloses the true impacts of the project and gives a chance to appropriately mitigate those impacts and have that transparency. So we are asking specifically for the county to prepare an EIR for the project,” Strong said.
An EIR would study issues like traffic, noise, greenhouse gas emissions, impacts on wildlife and other potential impacts to the community, Strong added.
Another point of concern for some, is that Hilltop Group is run by members of the De Jong family, which has ties to a portable toilet company that unlawfully discharged thousands of gallons of waste into municipal sewer systems across Southern California.
Hilltop Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The County Board of Supervisors is expected to hold a hearing on the project on May 5.
