Shoreway Facility FAQs

The Shoreway Environmental Center will be the new name for the Shoreway Recycling and Disposal Center once the facility master plan improvements are completed. In April 2007, the SBWMA Board of Directors approved a facility master plan to guide facility improvements, including retrofitting the existing transfer station and constructing a new materials recovery facility (processing facility for recyclables).

Key features of the plan include:

• New state-of-the-art materials recovery facility for sorting single stream (commingled) recyclables from residents and businesses
• Expanded transfer station for more recycling and customer convenience
• Major traffic improvements to increase safety, customer convenience and operational efficiencies
• Improved customer service through a decrease in wait time at the scales, simplified payment process, directive signage and consolidated service areas
• Consolidated public recycling services into one convenient, safe location with its own designated entrance
• “Green building” features such as solar panels and use of natural light
• New environmental education center

The SBWMA will be seeking to achieve U.S. Green Building Council LEED® certification or equivalency for the facility construction. The County of San Mateo has a green building ordinance and a number of SBWMA Member Agencies are also considering such ordinances.

The SBWMA initiated this process in July 2005, as part of planning for the future collection programs, services and facility infrastructure needs. The facility master plan was developed following eight months of planning, discussion and review by the SBWMA Board of Directors, outside technical experts, and the existing Shoreway operator, Allied Waste of San Mateo County. Site visits were also conducted at other recycling and solid waste facilities in the western United States to benchmark best practices and review facility design concepts. To date, the Shoreway master plan has been reviewed at six public meetings, including two City of San Carlos Planning Commission meetings (6/2/08 and 7/21/08), and four SBWMA Board meetings (3/22/07, 4/26/07, 4/24/08, and 6/26/08).

The proposed changes to the Shoreway operations require updates to the facility’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) with the City of San Carlos and to its state operating permit. The City of San Carlos Planning Commission held a study session on Shoreway plans on June 2, 2008. A revised CUP was approved by the Planning Commission on July 21, 2008.

Staff from the SBWMA and Allied Waste is still working on securing a revised Solid Waste Facility Permit from county and state regulatory agencies.

An exhaustive Shoreway master planning process was initiated by SBWMA staff in July 2005 and was completed in April 2007 with the SBWMA Board approval of a master plan preferred alternative consisting of the materials recovery facility (MRF) Alternative 2 (i.e., new MRF building) plus the transfer station site improvements to address traffic improvements, self haul tipping, and improved safety and service convenience for public buyback and drop-off recycling. Various alternatives were considered including the size and scope of retrofitting the existing transfer station building, whether to retrofit the existing MRF building or a build a new one, different traffic configurations, etc. These alternatives were reviewed by Board staff, Board members, an outside architectural and engineering firm, a traffic consultant, and local Allied Waste staff.

More recently at the September and October 2008 Board meetings, SBWMA staff and an outside consultant shared the results of an analysis of a MRF retrofit plan from Allied Waste. The conclusion of the analysis was that it is more cost effective to construct and operate a new MRF facility than to retrofit the existing facility as proposed by Allied.

SBWMA staff and its design and construction management team continue to “value engineer” the project so as to identify cost savings. Design work and revised project cost estimates are expected to be completed by December 2008.

The facility master plan is currently being reviewed, as part of the project financing approval process, by the Member Agencies (City/Town Councils and Board of Supervisors). At least one public workshop is being planned in the next 60 days to discuss the project scope and features. Further public meetings will be held in early 2009 to discuss project costs and financing approval.

SBWMA staff is currently in the process of having the facility design plans completed. Based on current cost estimates, we anticipate all the improvements in the facility master plan to cost approximately $54 million (see the summary below).

The funding for the improvements will be provided through bonds approved by the Member Agencies that will be recovered through garbage rates, not their individual City, Town or County general fund. A cap of $65.5 million has been established; this amount includes refinancing the existing debt of approximately $14.9 million. . Based on this, roughly a 5% rate increase in residents’ and businesses’ garbage rates is anticipated, which translates into an increase of approximately $0.50 - $1 per month for households.

The Phase 1 traffic improvements have been approved by the SBWMA Board and will be paid for using existing cash reserves. Phases 2 and 3 of the master plan won’t be constructed unless or until bond financing is approved by two-thirds of the Member Agencies.

To date, the following Member Agencies have approved of the bond financing:

• Redwood City approved on September 8th
• City of San Mateo approved on October 6th
• City of Foster City approved on October 6th
• City of San Carlos approved on October 13th
• City of East Palo Alto approved on December 16th

Yes. The SBWMA maintains a number of reserves for a number of purposes, including capital improvements. It is anticipated that cash reserves for facility improvements and equipment purchase will be used to pay off the existing debt from the original purchase of the Shoreway facility in 2000.