Council postpones chemical‑packaging CUP after residents raise traffic and safety concerns

City planning staff introduced a conditional use permit (CUP) request for a chemical packaging and blending use at 4902 Shank Road, submitted by Thomas R. Uzyk on behalf of owner Jean Pierre Bazin. Staff said the proposal covers about 25.1041 acres and includes roughly 96,000 square feet of building area, reworked trailer storage, revised fire lanes, a scale house, additional employee and visitor parking, and an integrated fire protection plan. Staff recommended approval with conditions including a 75‑foot frontline zone where outdoor trailer and truck storage would be prohibited and with protection measures for existing oak trees.

The applicant, identified in the record as representing SolvChem, said the project would preserve oak trees, create staging and security areas so trucks would not idle on Shank Road, and add about 20 jobs in the first year and roughly 34 over three years. "We're excited about this expansion plan... it's going to add another 20 jobs in the first year after project completion and over, at my latest count, 34 new jobs over a 3 year span," the applicant said.

Nearby residents said they welcome jobs but stressed safety and privacy concerns. Charles Buck Stevens asked for screening so his backyard isn’t overlooked by trailers. Ronnie Castillo and other residents described severe potholes and trucks parked on both sides of the road that impede emergency access. One resident told council she could not find a stormwater pollution permit and said hazardous waste from the facility had increased in recent years, telling the council: "in the past 2 years, from 2022 to 2024, there's been a 59% increase in hazardous waste this organization has produced. Coming to about 295,000 pounds."

Applicant and staff responded: the applicant said the site uses hazardous‑waste manifests and is pursuing waste minimization and recycling of byproducts; staff said they found no hazardous stormwater discharges and emphasized permit and mitigation conditions tied to the CUP. Council and staff discussed UDC options for buffering — a 25‑foot landscape area plus a 6‑foot masonry wall or a 30‑foot landscaped buffer with evergreen shrubs that can mature quickly — and compared the relative speed at which shrub rows would provide privacy compared with slow‑growing oaks.

To allow time to reconcile the text of conditions, site plan conceptual differences, and interim measures such as signage and enforcement for trucks on Shank Road, council voted to postpone formal action on Resolution R2025‑CUP‑0285 to Sept. 22, 2025 (motion passed 6–0). Staff said Shank Road full reconstruction is in city planning and design for a future CIP project with likely construction in 2028 (optimistic 2027), and recommended interim enforcement and signage to reduce on‑street truck staging.

What's next: Council directed staff and the applicant to refine CUP conditions and the site plan language before the Sept. 22 meeting, including clearer definition of the 75‑foot frontage, buffering details, and enforcement measures to prevent trucks from parking on Shank Road.