MODESTO — A composting facility proposed to operate west of Turlock won’t have its fate decided until Nov. 18 — at the earliest — after the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a continuance to take up an appeal of the planning commission’s suggested denial of the project.

West Main Compost, which is proposing operations on nearly 24 acres of a 48-acre parcel located at 1236 W. Main St., has drawn criticism from neighbors who are concerned about potential increased traffic, odors, air-quality impacts, and disruption of local wildlife.

The proposed facility would receive a maximum of 160 tons of feedstock material per-day, which would consist of a combination of landscape residue, vegetative food material, and green waste. The end product would consist of soil amendments which will be sold to local farms.  Up to 43,350 cubic yards of feedstock, 16,500 cubic yards of in-process active compost, 51,682 cubic yards of curing compost, 3,700 cubic yards of finished product, and 40 cubic yards of soil amendments are expected on-site at one time. 

The planning commission denied West Main Compost a use permit in April, a decision that was immediately appealed.

“I received a call and somebody asked me why we would extend this,” said District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa. “I don’t like to say that things are perfunctory, because that’s not the case, but anytime that somebody wants to try and make their project better and needs more time, we’ve always extended the offer.”

The supervisors unanimously agreed to grant the continuance.

West Main Compost is represented by Modesto land-use attorney George Petrulakis, Turlock’s outgoing city attorney.

In a letter to the board asking for a continuance back in August,  Petrulakis said, “My client desires to be a good neighbor to the area residents, farms, and businesses, and believes that this continuance will assist in achieving that desire.”

Turlock resident Milt Trieweiler, a candidate for Turlock City Council last year, was at Tuesday night’s meeting.

“The planning commission denied this permit … and I’m just wondering what is the importance of this project in our county?” Trieweiler asked the board. “How is this going to help our farmers? What is the purpose of this project? Why do they want to put this in our area?”

Petrulakis requested a continuance on Aug. 5 so that his client could address concerns raised by the Stockton-based law firm of Herum, Crabtree, and Suntag, which represents neighbors of the project. Those concerns surfaced in a letter dated July 31, which gave West Main Compost less than a week to respond.

“The fundamental question a use-permit asks is whether or not this is the right use and the right place and whether this will have impacts on the community,” said Angela Freitas, county planning director. “I would direct any of those who are interested to read the planning commission staff report, which addresses the questions in terms of why it can be located at the site in the agricultural zone and the findings that this board will need to address when considering the appeal.”