The Valdez Planning and Zoning Commission met on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers at 212 Chenega Ave., Valdez, AK. All commissioners were present except Commissioner Metroca (excused); Commissioner Wade attended by phone. The sole new business item was a recommendation to City Council for a lease with Central Environmental, Inc. for approximately 2 acres of the city-owned USS 439 (Pipeyard). The meeting also included a report from the Community Development Director and commission business from the floor.
We'll go ahead and call this meeting to order the Valdez Planning and Zoning Commission for Wednesday, October 22nd. But the record show that all commissioners are present with the exception of Commissioner Metroca, who is excused, and Commissioner Wade is on the phone. Public business from the floor. We have one staff member. Did you come to speak to us on a non-agenda item? No. I didn't think so. All right. So we'll go right to new business approval of a recommendation to City Council for release with Central Environmental Inc for an approximately two-acre portion of USS 439, the pipe yard owned by the city of Valdez. I moved. Moved by Commissioner Goodrow, seconded by Commissioner Beatis. Any discussion on this. And I guess my question is, and I'm sure it wasn't happened, but did anybody grab any soil samples before they put the stuff down, and then could we grab them again just to make sure that there isn't a bunch of stuff residue from transformers and other miscellaneous stuff that might be there? Yeah, I'm happy to speak to the required process and what has happened, and then Sean Holland representation for that applicant is on the line and he can add some more detail. Um, but I'll just speak generally about the process. And I do just want to mention for context for everyone, it's in the agenda statement. But um, this use as as Commissioner Goodreau referenced is already um in progress, and that's because um this project was um the the scrap metal associated with um the storage at this site was intended to go out on the barge this fall. And because the city of Valdez was doing that project, and we were working to gather enough material to get a full barge to be able to complete that project this fall. We strongly encourage the applicant um that to you know to pursue the temporary land use permit and that we wanted to move that material out in the fall. Um, unfortunately, the barge was not able to get in as planned due to multiple factors, and so this is an unexpected delay, which means that the materials do need to be stored there over the winter. Um, so staff really encouraged the temporary land use process initially, but also understood um from the applicant that there was a potential need for longer term storage. So with the lease process, there is a requirement that a phase one environmental assessment is done for any lease of city land that's um zoned, either light industrial or heavy industrial. Um, so that will be completed along with the standard appraisal for the fair rental value with this associated with this lease. Um, but prior to the temporary land use permit being issued, um, the applicant did a lot of work for documentation of the existing site conditions before they um moved the materials there because this is you know, this has been used as a lay down yard and for various other things. Um, and so that documentation has been provided to our department and will be something that can be utilized during the phase one environmental assessment process and establishes a good baseline of the conditions before the material is moved to the site. Um so Sean, if you or if the commission would like to hear from him, um can add anything else. Yes, feel free to chime in if you'd like to, but don't feel obligated to. Yeah, so this is Sean. Um yeah, I mean she pretty well summarized the the course of events there, but uh we did take a whole site characteristic uh characterization, which included all sampling pre-utilization. Um we will follow that up with a post. I know that's not necessarily a requirement for you guys, it's just good practice for us. Um, and of course, all that information will be shared across the board. Um, just so you know, there absolutely are no transformers. Um nothing with POL's um petroleum oil lubricants still on the on the metal components is stored there. Very good, thank you. Does that satisfy your concerns? Yeah, it does, especially that to grab samples once all the materials left there. Yes before now. All right, thank you. Any other concerns or questions? I had one question is at what point does this become a salvage yard where we need to have fences and is this a permitted use for long term just to cover, you know, just to put it on the record. Sure. So this is the use is considered storage for shipment and barging at this site. Um so they're not processing the scrap metal at the site. It's not a facility designed to do that. Um all of the processing of the other material associated with the separate city project to get um a scrap barge out is happening at either the Baylor site or at the um landfill site. Um so that's all you know, unrelated and happening at other places. This this use is just for storage of freight being ready to ship out to ship out, and so that's something that is identified as a separate and permitted use in the zoning code. All right, thank you. I figured you'd thought of it, but just wanted to make sure it was on the record.