Thousand Oaks trash hauler Athens gets OK to build truck dispatch center in city

Thousand Oaks' new waste hauler, Athens Services, was given the OK by the city Thursday to build a trash truck dispatch center in an industrial part of town.

Athens was granted permission at an administrative hearing at which the company's attorney, Jennifer Lynch, argued in favor of the project being green-lighted, while Andrea Leisy, an attorney for Athens' rival Waste Management, argued against it.

Numerous members of the public also weighed in, some in support of the planned dispatch center, some in opposition.

Hearing officer Geoff Ware rendered his decision at the conclusion of the nearly three-hour proceeding.

"Based on the information provided here, by both speakers and written information ... my decision is to approve the application" for a development permit, Ware said. He didn't elaborate.

The project calls for the construction of a 21,440-square-foot trash truck dispatch center including outdoor vehicle storage, maintenance facilities, and a compressed natural gas fueling station.

It's planned for an undeveloped lot at 2498 and 2550 Conejo Center Drive previously owned by the Conejo Valley Unified School District in an industrial zone.

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Athens wants a dispatch center in Thousand Oaks so that its trucks don't have to continue using its current dispatch center in Sun Valley 35 miles away.

"This is a very small, very simple project that has been made less simple for reasons that have nothing to do with what we are proposing," Lynch said at Thursday's hearing, accusing Waste Management of waging a "full-blown war" against Athens.

Houston-based Waste Management has been on the attack against Athens ever since last March when the Thousand Oaks City Council chose Athens to replace Waste Management and E.J. Harrison & Sons as the city's waste hauler. In so doing, the council cited the lower rates offered by Athens, headquartered in the City of Industry. Waste Management and Harrison had been the city's waste collectors since 1998.

Thousand Oaks' agreement with Athens is estimated to be worth millions of dollars, according to Waste Management.

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Waste Management took out a full-page ad in The Star the day before the hearing, urging residents to attend and demand that a comprehensive environmental impact report be done for the project before a decision is made by the city.

"There are a lot of people in this area who have valid concerns" about the planned dispatch center, Leisy said during brief comments at the hearing via Zoom.

But a nearly 300-page city staff report states that the project is exempt from provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act in part because it is less than 5 acres in size, has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species, has existing street access and is served by all required utilities and public services.

"Specific environmental assessment studies have been conducted to determine that the project ... would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality," the report says.

Lynch said about 42 of Athens' trucks are expected to use the new dispatch center on a regular basis.

Karen Sandvig, of Westlake Village, was one of the public speakers in favor of the project.

"I really appreciate that Athens is investing in our community," she said. "I think it's an ideal location. It will bring employment and increase revenues to our local businesses.

"And I don't want sour grapes to really get in the way of our progress," she said in reference at Waste Management.

But Mark Innocenzi, who resides near the planned dispatch center, opposes the project.

He said he used to live in Orange County near a similar facility "and it became a real problem with noise, with traffic, with odor.

"The people who aren't close to this (site) are pretty much in favor of it, but the people who are close to it have serious concerns," he said.

In a statement following Ware's decision, Gary Clifford, Athens' executive vice president, said the company was pleased with being allowed to go ahead with the project.

"Locating the dispatch center in Thousand Oaks is in the city’s and residents’ best interests," Clifford said. "The vehicles that will be located there serve the Thousand Oaks community.

"Reducing the distance our vehicles will need to travel delivers environmental benefits and support the city’s sustainability goals," he said.

Waste Management said it obviously disagreed with Ware's ruling.

"The city’s entire handling of this waste and heavy-duty trucking facility project is disappointing," Waste Management spokesman Eric Rose said in a statement. "The city’s 300-page staff report ... did not have even a cursory environmental impact review for such a substantial project."

Waste Management has not decided whether to appeal Ware's decision to the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission, Rose said.

Clifford said construction of the dispatch center will begin as soon as the city approves building permits. The project will take about nine to 12 months to complete, he said.

Waste Management has sued Athens and the city over the new waste hauling agreement and has sent mass mailers to the city's residents disparaging Athens. Thousand Oaks officials say the flyers are inaccurate and misleading.

Most recently, Waste Management accused Athens in a March 2 letter to Thousand Oaks officials that Athens tried to underreport the amount of waste it delivered to the Simi Valley landfill in January. Waste Management owns the landfill.

The Thousand Oaks City Attorney's office said it is looking into the allegations, which Athens denies.

Athens, which began hauling Thousand Oaks' trash Jan. 1, takes it to both the Simi Valley and Calabasas landfills.

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Thousand Oaks trash hauler Athens to build new dispatch center