Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hazardous Materials Industrial Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission approves Westair 30,000‑gallon propane storage and dispensing operation, 3–2
Summary
The commission certified a negative declaration and approved a conditional use permit and coastal development permit for a 30,000‑gallon above‑ground propane tank and semi‑automated filling equipment at 2100 Halfway Avenue, with a 3–2 vote after safety concerns from neighbors and questions about remediation were raised.
The National City Planning Commission voted 3–2 on March 16 to certify a negative declaration and approve a conditional use permit (CUP) and coastal development permit (CDP) allowing Westair to install a 30,000‑gallon above‑ground propane storage tank and associated dispensing and filling equipment at 2100 Halfway Avenue.
Assistant Planner Sofia Depew summarized staff analysis, noting the site is in a medium‑manufacturing zone and within the coastal overlay. Depew told commissioners the property (about 88,000 square feet with an existing 24,000‑sq‑ft warehouse) is on the city’s hazardous materials list and that remediation work (air sparge and soil vapor extraction) began in March 2022. "Due to the type of use and the presence of hazardous materials on‑site, the applicant is required to submit detailed plans to the National City Fire Department prior to construction and operation," Depew said, and staff recommended conditions and a negative declaration after the hydrogen request was removed from the proposal.
Westair project manager Jay Josefat and safety director Keith Martinez described the proposal and safety protocols. Josefat said Westair has operated in National City since 2007 and that the tank and fill equipment meet NFPA‑58 and OSHA requirements. He said the site will use a semi‑automated weight‑based filling system to refill small barbecue‑size propane cylinders and that deliveries would be less frequent than current bobtail truck deliveries: "We actually have already submitted for permitting with the National City Fire Department. It has been reviewed by their third party and approved," Josefat said.
A public commenter, Doyle Morrison, urged the commission to delay or reject the project, calling a 30,000‑gallon tank "a bomb on the site" and urging more detailed mitigation planning by the fire department and modeling of worst‑case scenarios. "If you were to do a Google search on 30,000 gallon propane tanks exploding, it's catastrophic," Morrison said.
Community development director Martin Meador responded that the application includes 33 fire‑related conditions and that fire and building staff had been involved in the review process. Commissioners asked about truck routing and safety measures; the applicant described emergency stops, LEL monitors, employee training, and refusal protocols for damaged cylinders. Josefat and Martinez said their operations have a safety record and that they perform regular drills and require DOT requalification of cylinders.
After closing the public hearing, the commission adopted a resolution certifying the negative declaration and approving the CUP and CDP for propane storage and dispensing at 2100 Halfway Avenue. The motion carried with a roll‑call result of 3 yes and 2 no (Commissioners Amenta and Quinones voted no). Conditions of approval include the fire department and building division requirements, development standards in the coastal overlay, and required signage for approved truck routes. The decision will be forwarded to the City Council as a notice of decision.
