Permits for Sperry Mill/VMT Site Still in Question

The felons who run the site at the old Sperry Mill may still be operating heavy machinery despite the proper permitting.

I have asked the City over the past two months to report on whether or not they have gotten their permits in, only to receive crickets.

Interim City Manager Mike Malone told council on Tuesday that the City has been “in dispute” with the owners over whether or not they are operating legally at the site.

“There was certain issues with that facility when it initially opened,” said Malone. “Some of the zoning changes may have addressed that, but we are still in dispute with the operators on the validity and whether or not they should still be operating the facility in question in the manner that they are. So, the City has been aware of this conflict from this very beginning… and the previous administration, and we are still trying to address that. so it hasn’t gone unchecked.”

The zoning for the site has been “general industrial” for years and has not changed, according to the City’s own maps. But being general industrial still requires permits.

My past coverage of this issue confirmed that Alan Varela and William Gilmartin had been storing heavy machinery there and that the site was host to activity from workers. One resident alleged that she saw a steam shovel “digging into the side of a hill” there.

It is unclear what is in “dispute,” but the City has given the pair a pass for years now. The need for the City to get the site in check is crucial for some residents who fear that coal trains might be eyeing the deep water port there, as my reporting showed last month.

Varela and Gilmartin were caught up in the public works bribery scandal that plagued San Francisco, and Varela was sentenced to two years in prison for it.

Both men have never returned calls for comment.