Yabba Dabba Do - Mr. Slate has Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble illegally demolish structure in Elk Grove!

By D.J. Blutarsky | 

In case you haven't noticed, the vacant OSH store (Orchard Supply Hardware) at the Laguna Crossroads shopping center at the corner of Bruceville Road and Laguna Boulevard, was a victim of the wrecking ball last week. Imagine my surprise when I planned a trip to Target, and there sat a huge void of concrete boulders the length of a football field, with only a few timber frames left standing. 

Right in the middle of the City's retail district, our very own moonscape!

Well, imagine my shock today as I made my way to Del Taco in that same shopping center, and what did I see? A huge concrete crushing operation with a conveyor belt and a huge pyramid about 50 feet tall of crushed concrete. Huge earthmovers, or concrete movers to be more precise, were bouncing around on top of the rubble and swinging huge concrete chunks around like they were cow chips. 

We not only have a moonscape in Elk Grove, but we have our very own pyramid right in the center of a shopping center with numerous outdoor eateries and pedestrians. Throw in yesterday's unusually strong Delta breeze and I'm afraid this is not the kind of seasoning diners would prefer added to their food. 

This whole operation seemed to me to be inconsiderate, obnoxious, and reminded me of the rock quarry were Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble worked! I was tempted to wait until closing time to see if Dino would make an appearance!

As I pulled into the Del Taco drive-thru line and waited to order, I contacted EGN and asked if they knew anything about this demolition. EGN said they send off an inquiry to City Hall (See updated information provided below). 

As I grabbed my bag of food and drove through the shopping center on my way out, I passed many outdoor diners eating, trying to support local business, and hoped that their dining experience was not being ruined by Fred and Barney's boss Mr. Slate. As I headed down Laguna toward the Laguna Springs intersection, I saw a steady stream of big rigs heading to and from Highway 99 with their not surprisingly uncovered dusty loads of concrete ash being blown about by the strong Delta breezes. 

At this point, we are sure EGN has heard back from City Hall staff, and all I can say is I hope this was not permitted by the City to occur without at least considering the negative impacts that this would have on the Center. 

Is the price of progress? Yabba Dabba No!

UPDATE 

The City of Elk Grove did respond yesterday afternoon to the inquiry regarding the unusual activity near Bruceville Road and Laguna Boulevard. The following is from Shane Diller, Elk Grove's Assistant Director of Development Services.  

All major construction and demolition projects require a Construction and Demolition Debris Management Plan (C&D Plan) approved by the City of Elk Grove and the Sacramento Air Quality Management District. This site has a plan and Air Quality approval on file for the demolition of the building, but it does not include the processing activity you raised. 

Elk Grove Code Enforcement is on site now requiring that they cease their activity, keep the current pile watered, and submit an amended C&D Plan to the City and Air Quality. Failure to do so could result in fines from both the City and Air Quality. 

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