Board holds proposed Shuttle/transportation facility after residents complain of 24/7 operations, noise and exhaust

The Paradise Town Advisory Board on March 25 agreed to hold three agenda items that would expand an existing shuttle and transportation service facility along Mall Avenue and to ask the applicant to meet with nearby residents before returning to the board.

DCO Gordillo presented the applications as a conforming zone change to IP (industrial park), a vacation/abandonment of a small portion of right‑of‑way and a design review for an expansion of the existing transfer/transportation facility. The applicant representative described the project as a permitted, by‑right expansion to provide additional parking, an enlarged repair building and expanded office space for shuttle operations.

Neighbors objected strongly at the hearing. Multiple residents said the existing operation has shifted from limited hours to near‑continuous activity, creating noise from bus movements and backup beepers, bright lights at night, exhaust and parking on Mall Avenue. One resident said operations now run 24 hours a day and house windows abut the facility. “It is egregious,” one neighbor said, and multiple speakers asked the board to deny the application or to require operational limits.

Speakers also criticized the site’s existing wrought‑iron fence and lack of landscaping, and asked for a block wall and additional setbacks to screen vehicles from the street and adjacent yards. Residents requested stricter hours of operation, better enforcement of on‑site parking rules and remediation for lighting and exhaust impacts.

The applicant’s representative said the expansion will comply with current industrial zoning standards, that new lighting would be downcast and that the proposal includes a wider landscaped setback and detached sidewalk that exceed current code requirements. He said there was no active code enforcement case on file and offered to meet with residents to discuss potential mitigations. He did not commit to operational hour limits at the hearing but said he would take that request back to the owner.

After discussion, the board voted to hold agenda items 8, 9 and 10 to the April 8 meeting and instructed the applicant to contact residents, attempt to arrange a neighborhood meeting and return with responses to the neighbors’ concerns. The board chair recommended the applicant host or attend a meeting at a resident’s home or a neutral location so issues can be discussed directly prior to the next hearing.

Why it matters: The proposal would substantially increase the on‑site capacity for shuttle/bus vehicles (staff report referenced an increase to roughly 40 parking spaces in the expanded plan) in an area with adjacent residences; neighbors say current operations already produce noise, light and exhaust nuisances at night.

Details and context: The items before the board were CC250171 (zone change to IP within an E60 overlay), BS250173 (vacation/abandonment of a portion of right‑of‑way along Mall Avenue) and DR25072 (design review for a transportation‑service facility expansion). The staff report lists a proposed on‑site total in the expanded plan of roughly 40 parking spaces; under the approved plan the site had about 25. The board asked the applicant to return with commitments where possible and with documentation responding to neighbor complaints about hours, parking and lighting.

Next steps: The applicant will attempt to meet with neighbors, the board will accept the matter back on April 8, and staff said it would provide the applicant and residents with code‑enforcement contact information for any current or future complaints.