A zoning administrator approved an application by Haul AB, LLC, for a project that will bring the Republic Services headquarters and a repair shop to Chula Vista.
The city’s trash and recycle company will be located west of Broadway at 2590 Main St. with a repair shop at 1660 Silvas St.
The repair shop will be used to repair and maintain trash bins and Republic Services’ trucks. The total size of the building is about 1.34 acres and is being purchased from the Leaf family, said city of Chula Visa senior planner Miguel Tapia.
The project proposes demolition of an existing 1,000-square-foot building and the construction of a new 17,200-square-feet, 25-foot-high office and repair building, associated landscaping and a 44-space parking lot with access driveways. The buildings that will be demolished include an old auto shop and an old home.
Chula Vista Councilman and Republic Services Division Manager Steve Miesen said the office space would serve as a customer service building where customers can pay their trash bills and other services.
Currently customers have to go to the customer service building located below the landfill at 881 Energy Way.
Miesen said the company’s trucks would continue to be housed at this location if there are no repairs needed. Republic Services’ trash bins currently get repaired at its San Diego facility near Clairemont Mesa.
“We just don’t have room where we are now,” Miesen said about the addition of the new facility. “Both of our sites are overcrowded.”
Miesen estimates that the cost of the project is about $1.5 million.
The site has a zoning designation of commercial-thoroughfare-plan and a General Plan designation of commercial retail, which allows a variety of commercial uses, including offices.
Miesen said Republic Services had been searching for a location for more than two years and the new Republic buildings have nothing to do with his capacity as a councilman.
“We’ve been looking for a new place before my appointment,” he said. Project plans were submitted on March 18 and approved on July 23.
Miesen said the company looked all over the county for a location but the preference was to find a building in Chula Vista.
Republic will lease the building from the new property owner Haul AB, LLC.
Miesen also said the new headquarters would move some workers to the Chula Vista location, which adds more jobs for the city.
“We’ll have a few more people working in Chula Vista,” he said.
Miesen said about 15 Republic Services employees will move to the Chula Vista location. Those employees include employees in the customer service department, repairmen and accountants.
Tapia said the property didn’t need to go through an environmental report under the California Environmental Quality Act.
“We conducted an environmental review of the project pursuant to CEQA and it was determined that given the size of the facilities and the fact that the sites had already been used and urbanized, no further environmental review needed to be done,” Tapia said.
