WESTMINSTER : New Recycling Sites Must Be Landscaped
Small recycling centers that open in the city must be landscaped, the City Council decided this week.
The centers now must be “made compatible” with surrounding architecture, colors and landscaping, and the changes must have the approval of the city’s Planning Commission.
But the panel decided not to make the requirements retroactive, because the costs could range from $3,000 to $10,000. The price tag would be highest for recycling centers in supermarket parking lots, because they would have to install irrigation systems, officials said.
Approval of new facilities will be decided case by case by the Planning Commission, which will determine how much landscaping or other measures are reasonable for the proposed site, officials said.
“I don’t want to subject the recycling facilities to further expenses,” said Councilman Tony Lam. Lam did, however, join the majority of council members in the 4-1 vote to require new facilities to be landscaped.
Councilwoman Margie L. Rice voted against the measure, saying that she did not think it was necessary.
“I don’t really think they look all that bad,” she said. “There are far worse eyesores in this city.”
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