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Planning Board recommends amendment for hammer mill at South 60th despite neighborhood opposition
Summary
The Planning Board recommended a major amendment to allow scrap and salvage operations and a hammer mill (U Pull It) at 5940 S. 60th St., voting 7–0 after extended public comment raising air, water, noise and permitting concerns; staff conditioned approval with nine report requirements and noted state and local permits.
The Omaha Planning Board on a unanimous vote recommended a major amendment to a special use permit to allow scrap and salvage operations, including a hammer mill, at 5940 South 60th Street, despite hours of public opposition about environmental and health risks.
Opponents told the board they fear airborne contaminants, water runoff into nearby Papio Creek, noise and heavy truck traffic. Thomas White of Nebraska Forward Fund summarized neighborhood concerns, saying the site “began without 1 permit” and that city enforcement orders “were ignored,” and warned that the air-permit notice “does not say this site will not emit harmful toxins.” Other residents and advocates, including Andrew Adams (a city council candidate), Gab Bridal and Stephanie Matthews, urged denial or stronger monitoring, citing past local industrial contamination and requesting independent air and water monitoring and traffic studies.
Clancy Peterson, representing the applicant Hansen Property Development / U Pull It, described the hammer mill as a resizing operation for automobiles and said site work (concrete pad, stormwater basins, perimeter fence) is complete. He described engineering measures for noise mitigation and stormwater filtration and said the company worked with state and city environmental reviewers and obtained a construction air-permit. Operator Jason Alarico said the company has operated vehicle disassembly on or near the site for decades and that proposed mitigations and operational limits would reduce impacts.
City staff outlined review and monitoring expectations. Tim Burns of the City of Omaha Air Quality Control Division said the construction permit requires daily recordkeeping and training, removal of tires and batteries before shredding, water injection to control dust and fire risk, and that “their requirement is that it doesn't leave their property” regarding dust or visible emissions. Burns said the city and county operate area monitors tied to federal ambient air standards and that the permit evaluation concluded the operation can meet those standards.
Planning staff recommended approval subject to nine conditions in the staff report, noting ongoing reporting and recordkeeping requirements and that final verification of noise and other controls will be part of the entitlement process and subsequent inspections. Board members pressed for clear monitoring and enforcement language and asked staff to describe how complaints and operational deviations will be handled.
The board voted 7–0 to approve the recommendation to forward the amendment to City Council with the staff-recommended conditions. The council will make the final decision for this major amendment.
