Agreement to move Fresno rendering plant in jeopardy. Residents complained of smell for years
An agreement between the city of Fresno and a meat-rendering plant that has bothered southwest residents for decades is falling apart, according to more than one person involved in the negotiations.
City staffers said in August that Texas-based Darling Ingredients neared its goal of more than $9 million in tax credits for agreeing to move its plant in about two years from 795 W. Belgravia Ave. to a more far-flung location in rural Fresno County.
But company confirmed part of the deal related to tax-sharing had fallen through and the “relocation arrangements did not close,” according to Melissa A. Gaither, vice president of global communications and sustainability for Darling.
“Darling, the city and an interested group of citizens are continuing a mediation to determine next steps,” she said in a statement. “Those have not been finalized and remain within the mediation setting.”
Former Councilmember Oliver Baines, who has been involved in negotiations, said he was disappointed by the latest development.
“”We worked with the city for years to bring this project to fruition and it’s tragic for the community that Darling backed out at the 11th hour after we invested so much time and effort,” he said.
The effort to move the foul-smelling plant has been a long road that’s seen multiple lawsuits. Neighbors have complained for 60 years about the plant that takes animal byproducts — like leftover fat, bones and other parts — from slaughterhouses and meat-packing plants before processing it into ingredients for animal food, fertilizer and fuel.
The Darling company is a huge corporation, making $3.4 billion in the last fiscal year, according to Forbes, and employing nearly 10,000 people. The Fresno plant employs about two dozen.
The Darling plant was the target of a lawsuit filed in 2012 by Concerned Citizens of West Fresno, a group of nearby residents. According to city staff, the old plant was to be rezoned for office use, making it unusable as a industrial plant.
The Concerned Citizens of West Fresno and its attorneys from Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and California Rural Legal Assistance Inc. issued a joint statement on Tuesday.
“Concerned Citizens of West Fresno continues to believe that the goal of its litigation — to secure the cessation of meat rendering operations in west Fresno — is possible,” the statement said. “CCWF will continue to diligently pursue that outcome.”
Councilmember Miguel Arias confirmed Monday the previous deal was off. The $1 million the city had earmarked as part of the plant’s move is on Thursday’s agenda for a vote to potentially be reassigned.
“The million dollars is no longer necessary for the relocation of the plant,” Arias said. “We’ll have something further by Thursday.”
If approved this week by the council, the money would fund an environmental impact study, work on the 2020 U.S. Census and the Cesar Chavez Foundation project, according to records.
The council’s next move related to the rendering plant will be to look for funding that would not come from the city’s budget, Arias said. The councilmember said he could not discuss details surrounding the negotiations with the plant, saying they’re protected under closed session rules.
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 4:03 PM.
