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Zoning Commission to Rule on West Oakland Customs Inspection Station

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Reversing its previous position, the Oakland Planning and Zoning Department has decided to allow a U.S. Customs Inspection Center to operate in West Oakland. An appeal on the ruling will be heard at the next Zoning Commission meeting, Wednesday, April 2 at 6 p.m. in Oakland City Hall Chambers.

 

Environmental activists brought the appeal, and argue that the inspection center will bring an average of 1,200 big rig trucks into a community already suffering from severe air quality hazards. In addition, they say the purpose of the center means potential dangers to the community, since the center serves as a line defense against possible terrorist or other threats that might enter the country in port containers.

Those in favor of the center say it will create up to 140 jobs, which are earmarked for people in West Oakland. They argue that customs’ officials and those who operate other inspection stations, say the site poses no hazards or negative environmental impacts on the community.

Unless the zoning ruling is reversed, the inspection center will be operated by North America 3PL at 1700 20th St. in Oakland, headed by CEO Tom Henderson, a local entrepreneur. Adding to community concerns, the old Horizon Beverage building is located across the street from Raimondi Park, which has an athletic field that is widely used by youth groups.

City Zoning Department staff had originally ruled that an inspection site in West Oakland would violate zoning regulations forbidding business that handle potentially hazardous materials to be located in the area.

Staff reversed itself in February, however, saying that upon investigation, they saw that the containers would only remain at the site for a short time before being returned the port. Since these containers would not remain on site for more than 30 days, city zoning prohibitions do not apply to this business.

Challenging the ruling were Brian Beveridge and Margaret Gordon of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP), who filed the zoning appeal. Staff has overstepped its authority, developing policy for a new type of business in the area, rather than sending the policy issue to the City Council for public discussion, they say.

“Despite the glowing reports about the safety of the site by customs officials and the applicant (Henderson), who has never done this work before, nobody has produced any documented evidence that it is safe,” said Beveridge.

“We don’t ever experience anything dangerous, they say, but then they add that in the event of an incident, they say, we will take appropriate action,” though they say they cannot specify, for security reasons, exactly what they will do, he said.

The only reason U.S. Customs is seeking a site in West Oakland is because city officials did not appropriately plan how to maintain the inspection center at the Army Base when the development project began, issuing an eviction notice on the previous company that handled inspections, Beveridge said.

Should the zoning appeal fail, he said, WOEIP is considering filing a complaint under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits use of federal funds on projects that increase negative environmental impacts on already disadvantaged communities.

If a complaint were held, the city could lose nearly $50 million in a new Department of Transportation TIGER grant it is seeking to help fund the Army Base development.

Coming down on the other side emphasizing the need for new jobs, is Darrel Carey, president of the East Bay Small Business Council.

“You have 140 jobs that are at risk here. We should really look at the thing seriously because the priority is for jobs that would go to West Oakland, to the 94607 and 94608 area codes.”

In speaking to Customs officials, Carey said he has heard “there are no environmental impacts, there are no dangerous materials that would be stored there.”

Compared with the propane tanks that were at Horizon Beverage in the past, he said, “Aren’t we in a better situation than we were then? And this means jobs for Oaklanders.”

 

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Oakland Post: Week of March 20 – 26, 2024

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