L. A. Law May Bar Proposed BKK Plant in Wilmington

In a move that one city official said could block construction of a proposed BKK Corp. plant in Wilmington, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance that requires new hazardous waste storage, disposal and treatment facilities to go through a special approval and review process.

The ordinance, approved by a 10-0 vote, had been actively opposed by BKK officials until recently. BKK President Ken Kazarian said Wednesday that the company abandoned its campaign after it became clear the measure’s sponsor, harbor-area Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, had more than enough votes on the council.

Flores, who described the ordinance as “landmark planning legislation,” predicted in an interview that it will force BKK to abandon plans for the controversial Wilmington treatment plant or force the company to redesign it more to the community’s liking.

‘No Longer Feasible’

“I think the plant as originally designed will not go in,” Flores said. “Even if the council were to override me, we could put such strict conditions on BKK that it might no longer be feasible to go ahead.”

Kazarian said the company is already considering some changes to the plant because of developments in the hazardous waste treatment industry since the plant was first proposed in 1984. The changes could result in a smaller plant, he said, because many companies are now treating their own hazardous wastes.

Kazarian said, however, that the Torrance-based company has not abandoned plans to build the plant. In fact, he said, the plant has become more economically feasible in recent years because of new government regulations requiring companies that produce hazardous wastes to provide treatment or find it elsewhere.

He said the company expects to apply for city and state approvals within three to six months.

Kazarian said BKK would fight any effort by Flores to kill the project through the city’s new ability to place conditions on such facilities. If the city did block construction, he said, BKK would appeal to the state, which has the power to overrule local jurisdictions on hazardous waste issues.

‘Good Solid Project’

“It is a good solid project, and it has just as much merit now as it did when we first proposed it,” Kazarian said.

The new ordinance, which will take effect as soon as Mayor Tom Bradley signs it, will require new hazardous-waste facilities to obtain a conditional use permit from the city and undergo a public review process.

Currently, the city allows the facilities in areas zoned for heavy industry--the M2 and M3 zones--without a conditional use permit. The ordinance does not apply to existing facilities.

In January, BKK officials asked the city’s Planning Commission to exempt the proposed Wilmington plant from the new ordinance, claiming the plant was already heavily scrutinized when the City Council approved an environmental impact report and a street vacation for the project in 1984.

The commission rejected the request, and on Wednesday, Kazarian acknowledged that the company will have no choice but to go through the new permit process.

Wilmington residents have opposed the plant since it was first proposed because of concerns about its environmental effects on the community. They hailed the ordinance as a long-awaited victory.

“It has taken a long time, but good things usually do,” said Jo Ann Wysocki, president of Harbor Coalition Against Toxic Waste, an environmental group that led an unsuccessful court battle to block the proposed plant.