West Covina OKs Report on BKK Site

The City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve an environmental impact report that could pave the way for redevelopment, including a business park at the controversial BKK Corp. landfill site.

But development will not begin until the council votes to amend the Eastland Redevelopment Project and add eight other areas that would include the landfill. The vote was postponed Monday night, but council members indicated that they will approve the amendment next week after the city attorney responds to objections by the County Board of Supervisors.

In a letter to the city, county officials argued that the draft environmental impact report was inadequate and violated Community Redevelopment Law because the area proposed for development is not blighted.

The council approved the report over objections from several residents.

“The report was not a good one because it avoided stating if ground water contamination has been found off-site,” said Jean Arneson of Donna Beth Avenue.

Royall Brown of Aroma Drive, a director of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal District, said that although it is common practice for landfills to post a bond to assure that there will be money to cover any problems, the city’s report does not say whether BKK posted a bond.

West Covina Community Service Director Mike Miller said BKK was not required to post a bond. The company did, however, submit a plan for future maintenance of the site and is arranging to pledge $45 million as assurance of that.

“I’m opposed to the report and the haste being shown by the city in spending money to subsidize development at BKK,” Brown said. He said that he opposes the city paying for installation of sewers or water lines in the area.

But Mayor William Tarozzi defended the environmental report and emphasized that any development would have to be approved by county and state regulatory agencies. “BKK is here, and a lot of us don’t like it,” he said.

“Only the county and state can close it. . . . If the health agencies tell us that it’s safe, then it’s safe until they tell us otherwise. We also have to look at the revenues BKK brings in, about $3 million a year in taxes.”