Marina residents press council to deny new Los Animas Concrete lease over noise and truck traffic

Several Marina residents urged the City Council on Feb. 19 to reject a new lease with Los Animas Concrete, saying the company’s truck traffic and noise have harmed nearby homes and that the city failed to remove the company from the site when it intended to in 2017.

At a public comment period before open session, Marie Weiner of California Avenue told the council her vehicle mirror was recently destroyed by a passing truck and that the Ford dealership could not replace the part. She said the city’s staff has applied a daytime noise limit of 70 decibels and a nighttime limit of 60 decibels under the general plan, but that Marina’s municipal code sets lower limits in industrial–commercial areas adjacent to single- or two‑family residences.

Weiner cited Marina Municipal Code section 17.28.040(h) and said the code requires daytime noise not exceed 55 decibels and 45 decibels at night when commercial activity disturbs nearby residences. She added that the conditional use permit (CUP) previously issued to Los Animas subjects the operation to Code section 9.24, which bars commercial noise that “disturbs the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of Marina residents.”

Weiner also criticized a city-funded noise study by Ambient that she said is incomplete and biased by its timing: the study purports to cover 48 hours but the transcript of the study shows data only for 42–44 hours and excludes morning commuter hours that she says are the peak for Los Animas truck traffic. She said the study still shows daytime maximums and nighttime averages above the limits she cited and that Los Animas contributes up to 5.7 decibels to the measured noise.

A second remote speaker (identified in the transcript as Carol) said city staff “dropped the ball” in 2017 by not removing Los Animas from the site as the prior plan called for and pressed the council to “own its mistake” and deny any new lease so residents are not asked to “sacrifice the safety and health” of their families. Carol asked that the city consider an environmental impact/review analysis for creating a new, dedicated access road to move truck traffic off California Avenue.

Speakers emphasized that California Avenue remains a residential street even if it functions as a collector, and they said large trucks present a public-safety risk where people walk and children play. Several asked the council to seek removal of the cement plant or require a new access route that would avoid residential neighborhoods.

The matter was recorded as public comment; no formal lease vote was taken during that meeting. Council members and staff acknowledged the comments and indicated staff would follow up with the speakers about next steps and scheduling.

Ending: The council did not vote on a lease at the Feb. 19 meeting. Staff told commenters the city would follow up by email and that related matters — including any environmental review for the general-plan update and potential routing studies — would be addressed in future staff reports and hearings.