Zoning administrator approves Kamacho Recycling collection container at 1400 Farmers Lane with conditions

The City of Santa Rosa zoning administrator approved a minor conditional use permit allowing a small recycling collection facility (an 8 ft × 15 ft shipping container) for Kamacho Recycling at 1400 Farmers Lane, subject to conditions intended to minimize visual, traffic and nuisance impacts.

Staff described the proposed facility as a drop-off point for empty beverage containers adjacent to an existing gas station and said the project is categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines (§15301 and §15303). Staff recommended conditions that would prohibit leaving material outside containers, restrict loading on premises or adjacent property, require the operator to monitor the exterior during business hours and ask individuals engaged in nuisance activity to leave.

Ricardo Kamacho, owner of Kamacho Recycling, said the business is state-certified, operates several locations in Northern California, and keeps material inside the container until daily pickup and transport to a larger facility for processing. "We keep all materials inside the container at all times," Kamacho said, describing a quick customer transaction based on weight and cash payout.

Some nearby businesses opposed the project. A representative of the Town View Professional Plaza (speaker did not give a name) said the area already experiences loitering, parked trucks and encampment activity and argued a CRV drop-off would intensify those issues and reduce parking availability for medical and office clients. Deianne Wiluburn said previous drop-off sites generated debris and overnight trucks and offered photographic documentation; she urged the city to review experiences in other jurisdictions and to consider whether the location is appropriate.

In response, Kamacho said an associate’s overnight truck parking was a temporary arrangement that has stopped, that materials are transferred off-site when the container is full (he identified Yuba City/Oliver as a processing point), and that staff clean the site daily. Staff and the zoning administrator tightened recommended language to require that recyclable material be stored in containers at all times (not merely when the attendant is absent) and added monitoring/anti-loitering conditions.

With those conditions, the zoning administrator approved the project and noted the decision is final unless appealed within 10 calendar days (the ZA cited an appeal deadline of Monday, April 20, 2026).