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Neighbors oppose larger mulch piles; Zoning board tables RSB Estates request for fire-code review
Summary
At a June 17 Southfield Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, neighbors objected to a request by RSB Estates LLC to raise outdoor mulch-pile heights and reduce setbacks, citing dust, noise and safety; staff flagged conflicting fire-code limits and the board tabled the case to July 1 for clarification.
The Southfield Zoning Board of Appeals on June 17 heard wide public opposition to a request from RSB Estates LLC to raise the height of mulch piles and reduce setback and screening requirements at a working mulch facility on Maple Ridge Avenue.
Appellant Randy Blackman, representing RSB Estates, told the board he has operated the mulch-production business for more than a decade and acquired adjacent parcels to move equipment farther from nearby homes. Blackman said the company would build a 30-foot berm along the property’s perimeter to help contain dust and reduce noise and asked the board for variances that would allow piles taller than the existing 15-foot standard.
Planning staff read findings that the property is zoned I1 industrial and that current outdoor storage does not meet screening or height requirements. Staff also said a recent conversation with the fire marshal and building-code officials means the board could not waive any pile-height limit set by fire or building codes; staff initially cited a 20-foot standard that would preclude the requested 30-foot piles.
Multiple written letters and residents who spoke at the hearing said the facility already produces dust and intermittent loud noise. One resident wrote that sawdust accumulated on parked cars and reported a dense cloud of fine particles reaching mature trees 300 feet from the site; others asked the applicant to commit to operating limits such as monitoring decibel levels, limiting grinders to three units, and installing real-time noise monitors.
At the hearing, staff also read a communication quoting the International Fire Code (2015), chapter 2808.3, stating that piles ‘‘shall not exceed 25 ft in height, 150 ft in width, 250 ft in length.’’ Blackman said he had previously discussed pile dimensions and safety controls with the fire department and the planning division and believed the proposed plan met those operational controls.
Board members raised technical questions about whether the raised soil berms (referred to in the record as “burms”) would be created from mulch material and whether taller piles would, in practice, reduce dust by increasing separation between machines and neighbors. Because staff presented conflicting code guidance and the fire marshal was not available to clarify the applicable limit, the board voted to table the matter to the July 1 meeting so staff can confirm the fire-marshall position and any nonwaivable code restrictions.
The board did not take a vote on the requested variances. The case remains on the agenda for July 1 so the record can include final direction from the fire marshal and any clarifying conditions staff or the board may attach.
