Irvine advances toxic chemical disclosure rules

IRVINE, Calif. — The Irvine City Council unanimously moved ahead Tuesday with rules that would require some businesses handling acutely hazardous chemicals to notify nearby residents and seek city land-use approval, Voice of OC reported.

The proposal follows chemical emergencies in Garden Grove and La Habra and could change how Irvine reviews facilities that must file risk management plans.

Voice of OC reported that the rules would apply to businesses required to have risk management plans because they handle acutely hazardous chemicals in significant amounts.

Under the proposal, those businesses would have to tell residents within a quarter mile that they operate nearby. New operators needing a risk management plan also would have to seek a conditional use permit from Irvine’s Planning Commission, giving the panel authority to approve or reject the use.

A city staff report said the change would expand the usual notice area from 500 feet to a quarter mile. “By requiring a conditional use permit for uses that require an RMP and expanding the typical public notification radius from 500 feet to one-quarter mile, the zoning text amendment enhances public transparency,” the staff report said.

The report also said the change “grants the Planning Commission discretionary authority to evaluate whether the proposed use is compatible with surrounding land uses and consistent with public health, safety, and welfare,” according to Voice of OC.

City staff found more than 1,100 Irvine businesses that work with chemicals, but only seven were found to require risk management plans, Voice of OC reported. Previously, only two Irvine zones required businesses to notify neighbors about chemical use at a site.

The council directed staff in June to start drafting the rules after a May chemical tank emergency in Garden Grove forced more than 50,000 evacuations and a later La Habra incident created an orange chemical cloud and some evacuations, according to Voice of OC.

Irvine Mayor Larry Agran said at Tuesday’s meeting, “It’s good to see we’re becoming increasingly sophisticated,” adding, “Still feels as though we’ve got a long way to go to render our communities really safe.”