Planning Commission — Thursday, 1 October 2026
From the KCRT video of the meeting (about 47 minutes), checked against the Planning Commission agenda, Oct 1 and the minutes of October 1 (posted; updated 31 October 2026). Compiled from KCRT video; votes are unconfirmed unless minutes are posted. Where a mover, second, or tally could not be heard clearly, this digest says so. Names from speech-to-text are checked against the posted agenda where possible. The video was transcribed by machine and compared with YouTube’s automatic captions.
Attendance
- Present: Chair Brubaker, Commissioner Harrison, Secretary Timmons. Absent: Vice-Chair Benitez and Commissioner Shahid (two seats vacant on the agenda). Three members voted.
- Staff: Planning Manager Avery Stark; Assistant Planner Pete Srivarom presented; Brandi Robinson of the City Attorney’s Office attended (per the minutes).
Minutes of August 6
- Approved 3–0 on a roll call (Brubaker, Harrison, Timmons; Benitez and Shahid absent), moved by Commissioner Harrison and seconded by Secretary Timmons, per the minutes. The agenda was approved the same way, 3–0.
Agenda review and public forum
- Staff said a 2025 Housing Element and legislative update posted on an earlier agenda had been removed. No consent items.
- One speaker in public forum asked that neighborhood councils be consulted on projects before they reach the Design Review Board or the Commission, and raised store-security concerns tied to an earlier project. No one else spoke in the chambers or online.
G.1 — PLN26-0184, medical waste transfer station (conditional use permit)
- Site: 801 Wharf Street (APN 560-310-055), 3.43 acres beside the Santa Fe Channel, zoned Industrial Water-Related, in the Port Priority Area; existing 58,912 sq ft facility operated by Safety-Kleen Systems. Applicant: Clean Harbors Environmental Services. Nearest home about 0.3 mile away.
- Proposal (staff): receive, inspect, weigh, screen, and temporarily store sealed medical waste inside about 4,640 sq ft (about 8% of the building); no treatment or disposal; no exterior changes. Waste types listed: sharps, red-bag biohazard, non-hazardous pharmaceutical, trace chemotherapy, pathological. Not accepted: hazardous pharmaceutical, bulk chemotherapy, radioactive waste, controlled substances. State medical-waste rules (CDPH) apply, not the federal hazardous-waste program.
- Limits stated: 4 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days; up to 1,000 tons a month; about 35 tons stored; truck-trip limits (31 box-truck trips a day, 8 semi trips a week); no street queuing; 5–10 added jobs (maximum 32 employees). The applicant described the future “phase two” (treatment) as outside this permit; condition 2 requires a new permit or amendment and a new CEQA determination.
- CEQA: exempt as minor alteration of an existing facility. Staff reported no public comments and a letter of support from the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council. The Fire Department’s July 30 inspection was approved with conditions.
- Applicant (Clean Harbors) said it expects about 10 box trucks in and out two to three times a day and five to eight semi loads a week; a physical barrier separates the medical-waste area from existing oil operations; no container rinsing in Richmond. Commissioners asked about queuing, rail blockage and emergency access, spill notification, phase two, and truck counts.
- No public speakers on the item. Motion by Commissioner Harrison, seconded by Secretary Timmons (per the minutes), to adopt Resolution 26-16 approving the permit with conditions. Approved 3–0 on the clerk’s roll call (Brubaker, Harrison, Timmons yes; two absent).
- Appeal: staff said the appeal date was Monday, October 13, 2026. Whether an appeal was filed is not confirmed.
Adjournment
- No new business. Adjourned after about 46 minutes. Next scheduled meeting: Thursday, 5 November 2026 (the Chevron wet gas scrubber hearing is noticed for that date).
Not yet confirmed
- Whether any appeal of Resolution 26-16 was filed by October 13.
- Exact transcription of several figures (truck trips, hours); the agenda packet’s conditions control.
Sources
- KCRT video, Planning Commission Oct 1
- Planning Commission agenda, Oct 1
- Planning Commission minutes, Oct 1
- Planning Commission agendas
The adopted minutes control. Check names, votes and figures against them.