Tennell Atkins: City Hall Responded Quickly to Complaints About Shingle Recycling

Earlier this month the city of Dallas secured a victory for the residents of southern Dallas when a court ordered Blue Star Recycling to cease all operations at its properties in southern Dallas. Included in this order is a provision for Blue Star Recycling to remove all shingle materials from the site within 90 days.A business operating in the city of Dallas has the responsibility to be aware of all applicable laws and to ensure it complies. The city relied on this premise in the case of Blue Star Recycling. Because Blue Star Recycling chose its own location and failed to obtain the necessary permissions, the city had no opportunity to ensure its operations were appropriately permitted on Day One. We are grateful to community members such as Marsha Jackson, who took the lead in advocating for her community and gave us information we could act upon.Once the city was notified about a potential violation, the Department of Code Compliance investigated. Its inspectors visited the site and issued notices of violation for illegal land use, and the department issued a citation after Blue Star Recycling failed to comply. Finally, Blue Star Recycling sought and obtained a certificate of occupancy for industrial use (outside). Based on the representations made by Blue Star Recycling, no specific use permit was required. However, subsequent inspections revealed that Blue Star Recycling misrepresented its operations, specifically it failed to state that its operation included the grinding of wood shingles, which did require a SUP. A SUP is granted by the City Council to ensure use of the property is compatible with nearby properties. Blue Star Recycling ceased its wood shingle grinding operation. Therefore, no SUP was required.  Continue reading...