The proposed Amazon facility. Image from the County of Humboldt.

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Dozens of Humboldters attended a virtual meeting held last night to share their concerns about the environmental impact of the proposed McKinleyville Amazon distribution center.

John Ford and Steve Lazar of the county’s Planning and Building Department hosted the meeting, they said, mostly for the public’s benefit, to give people a chance to bring up what they thought needed to be kept in mind while the county began the environmental review process. They emphasized that it wasn’t a hearing and that commenters needed to keep their statements focused on the project’s potential environmental impacts.

It was entirely on Zoom, and speakers were limited to three minutes apiece. It wasn’t a necessary step in the environmental review process, they said. “We felt it was right, given the level of public interest in the project, to hold this meeting,” Lazar said, to “give people an opportunity to present their comments and concerns…We’re only collecting input on the environmental impact report itself, and what it should cover. It’s not a discussion about whether this is a good or a bad project.”

Screenshot from meeting.

Lazar emphasized that although a little bit of the project site lies within the Coastal Zone, it’s far from pristine. The land has had roads constructed on it and infrastructure for utilities added, and some of it has been levelled.

The speakers, roughly one dozen out of the almost 50 people who joined the meeting, raised a wide variety of possible issues. Many, especially the ones who said they lived near the site, were focused on noise levels, which are already high because of the nearby airport.

If built, the facility would run almost 24/7, though from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. the activity levels will be lower. Nearby resident Jeff Dunk said it could be a “major issue” for him and his neighbors and urged the county to investigate. Another nearby McKinleyville resident said she was worried about how increased noise levels would affect the wildlife population. 

Other speakers said they were concerned about air quality, which could be negatively impacted by the large number of delivery vans and trucks traveling to and fro the facility. Others wanted the county to research the facility’s potential for light pollution, or how much traffic will increase. 

Overall, the county representatives said they appreciated the thoughtful input. 

If you have worries about the project’s environmental impact, there’s still time to tell the county about them, Ford and Lazar said. The county is still accepting written comments until July 29. (Mail them to 3015 H St., Eureka, CA 95501, or email them to slazar@co.humboldt.ca.us.) After the draft environmental impact report is published near the end of September, the public will have 45 days to comment, and there will be a public hearing held after the final document is completed.