A homeless shelter in Barrio Logan called “the tent” is scheduled to open next week, but concerns were raised Monday evening about its adjacency to a lot – the Graybill Terminal Site – formerly used to store fuel. There was at least one underground oil spill on the site.
The lot has been treated to industrial standards, but not yet to residential standards. The site is zoned by CCDC for residential and commercial use. The firm working on the remediation of that site, Renova Partners, completed a Remedial Action Plan for the process in March, and put it up for public review for 30 days. But at that time, the treatment was slotted for the summer, and logistical delays have pushed the process back to coincide with the operation of the homeless shelter next door.
The county Department of Environmental Health will meet Renova Partners tomorrow. They will discuss revising portions of the Remedial Action Plan – specifically its community health and safety considerations – to account for the opening of the homeless shelter.
Depending on how substantial the revisions are to bring the remediation plan in line with safety standards for homeless individuals sleeping next door, a DEH official said the new plan may have to open for another 30-day public review period, which would delay the treatment process.
That wouldn’t jeopardize the shelter opening date of November 1, said Mark McPherson, chief of land and water quality for the county. He said the site, left untilled, should be safe – the contamination from the oil spill requiring treatment is all underground.
“We are not holding up the shelter in any way,” he said. “The county just wants to be comfortable with the restrictions in place.”
I’ll find out how the meeting goes and keep you posted.