Panel Orders Halt to Mulching Operation

The Los Angeles Board of Zoning Appeals ruled Tuesday that a mulching operation, denounced by Sunland residents as a smelly nuisance, is in the wrong zone and must stop operating.

The ruling upholds action taken by the Office of Zoning Administration and the Department of Building and Safety concerning Valley Roll-Off in the 9800 block of Wentworth Street. Both agencies determined that the business, which operates on land zoned for agricultural use, should be in an industrial zone.

The operation--which takes tree clippings, shrubs, wood and other green waste and transforms it into a soil additive through mulching and composting--has been the source of a heated controversy between the owners and neighbors since it opened in 1991.

Neighborhood residents at Tuesday’s hearing, including representatives of the Shadow Hills Property Owners Assn., testified that the operation was noisy, caused air pollution and emitted noxious odors.

But co-owner Nick Pavich Jr. and supporters testified that the operation, by recycling waste that would normally go to landfills, is necessary if the city is to meet state-mandated waste reduction goals.

The owners can still apply for a zoning permit and the business could be allowed to continue operating for several months during the application process, zoning officials said.