OCEANSIDE UPHOLDS APPROVAL OF CHEMICAL STORAGE
Residents had appealed permit allowing business
An appeal by residents has failed to stop the opening of a new business that will store up to 1,100 gallons of oxidizing materials and nearly 20,000 gallons of corrosive liquids at an industrial building near Oceanside Boulevard and North Melrose Drive.
The Oceanside City Council voted 3-2 to deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Commission’s unanimous approval of a conditional use permit for ChemStation Pacific,
LLC, a business to open on North Avenue. ChemStation is a national franchise with 63 locations. The Oceanside business will supply biodegradable, water-based cleaning products in refillable containers, primarily to food production and distribution businesses such as bakeries and breweries.
Mayor Esther Sanchez and Councilmember Kori Jensen took the side of more than 20 residents who spoke in support of the appeal, which was filed by Silvia Peters and signed by 30 residents. Most of the business’s opponents live in the nearby community of Regency Hills.
Sanchez and Jensen both said they were concerned about the possible health and safety issues raised at the meeting.
“There is probably a better location for this,” Jensen said.
Sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda or lye, is one of the chemicals to be stored at the location. The product is used to make soaps and many other industrial products such as paper and cotton fabrics.
Residents who addressed the council repeatedly emphasized their concerns about public safety if there were to be a spill or some other kind of accident with the chemicals stored there. Several said they worry that the business would devalue nearby properties, and that they would have to disclose it as a nearby hazard when they sell their homes.
Some said they fear a spill could drain into nearby Loma Alta Creek.
“This is not beneficial to nearby residents,” said Ryan Uber. “There is only risk, risk of disaster, risk of property values (going down) and risk to the environment. We need to protect all neighborhoods in Oceanside.”
The site is near three elementary schools, churches, a retirement community and a number of small businesses, the appeal states. The conditional use permit is needed because the amount of chemicals to be stored exceeds the limit specified for the location’s “light industrial” zone.
City officials said the business meets all applicable safety standards and recommended approval of the permit.
Business owner and founder Dario Paduano said he purchased the building in 2021 after it had been vacant for some time and was growing dilapidated and a target for vandalism.
“We consider ourselves good stewards of the environment,” Paduano said, adding that products stored and sold at service stations and hardware stores are more hazardous than the chemicals at his business.
His products are certified as organic and are a critical component of the farm-to-table movement, he said. The growing culinary trend emphasizes the use of locally grown farm products in restaurants.
Councilmember Christopher Rodriguez said there was “a disconnect” between the fear expressed by residents and the facts presented by the business owner and the city staff.
Most projects presented to the City Council are opposed by someone, and the council can’t deny them all, Rodriguez said.
The Planning Commission approved the project on a 5-0 vote March 14. The commissioners said that, despite the residents’ objections, the business met all applicable standards, and so it could not be denied.