PZA approves Hydro expansion to almost double usage

PZA approves Hydro expansion to almost double usage

Nearby residents bemoan nighttime noise, traffic

By PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 11/07/08


Members of St. Johns County Planning & Zoning Agency sympathize with residents living near Hydro Aluminum who complain about late-night noise by the company's aluminum casting plant.

But it didn't stop them on Thursday from recommending approval of a rezoning that nearly doubles industrial use there.

The vote to approve was 5-2, with PZA members David Wiles and Brad Nelson dissenting.

"The (residential) build out around it is incompatible," Wiles said.

Half of Hydro's 103 acres are vacant, so the company has a 20-year plan to add 85,000 square feet to its existing plant, 30,000 square feet of office space and then 40,000 more square feet of offices. The next phase will consist of 90,000 square feet of offices and 174,000 square feet of light industrial uses.

Its workforce would increase from 350 to 600 employees, adding much more traffic, neighbors said.

Land Planner Karen Taylor, speaking for Hydro, said the company first plans to increase the size of the casting plant, move the guard house, construct another paint building, add a shipping deck and add a warehouse.

"The changes will increase efficiency and help with production," Taylor said,

In addition, the company is considering exploring a solar facility to reduce energy costs, since Hydro is Florida Power's biggest customer north of the Interstate 4 corridor.

Taylor said details about this are sketchy still.

Mostly, however, the key issue was the company's noise and its compatibility with surrounding homes

Residents have complained for four or five years about loud crashing at the plant in the middle of the night -- when front-loaders drop scrap aluminum -- and annoying backing beeps from heavy equipment that also wake them up.

Some can't open windows or use rooms nearest the plant because of the noise.

Patricia Wood, a resident of Winding Creek condos, said, "Most of us don't have the luxury of a good night's sleep. Buffers are not working."

She said warnings about the plant were buried in the fine print of her home's purchase contract.

Jerry Zinn, president of the 3,300-member Homeowners Association, said 563 homes are within a half mile of the plant.

"And there are still 900-plus units still unbuilt," Zinn said.

Tom Phillips of the Tuscany development organized a group called CAN-IT, or Concerned About Noise In Tuscany.

"Violations of the county's noise ordinance happen every day," he said. "It is ill-advised to let them expand.

"We've been working with them five years, and it still needs significant noise abatement."

Retired code officer Jerry Del Gaizo told the PZA, "You're not there at 2 a.m.," he said. "They're not acting in good faith."

Hydro built most of a $2 million wall -- 6 feet wide, 15 feet high around the noisiest parts of the property -- to help with the noise problem. They're still adding to it.

Operations Manager Matt Dionne said they'll complete the wall, but said sounds carry farther at night and with the wind.

"We have seen a dramatic reduction of the noise level," he said. "We won't be able to eliminate the sound of crashing metal.

"I feel bad for the folks. I really do. We're going to try to continue to work at it."

After their defeat, Phillips said the residents will take their case to the County Commission.

"I think elected officials will be more attuned to the 6,000 voters in the Shores," he said.


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