Loewke Planning was selected jointly by Orcem California and Vallejo Marine Terminal to manage preparation and processing of project entitlements for these separate but coordinated projects in the City of Vallejo. Our responsibilities have included coordination of the technical studies to be used in preparation of a single combined project EIR, preparation of the required general plan amendments, zoning changes and related ordinance refinements and application materials, and management of permitting through the City of Vallejo, Solano LAFCO, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the State Lands Commission. Loewke Planning Associates collaborated with City staff to prepare the RFP and ultimately select a single firm for preparation of the combined project EIR, and has continued to provide input on key environmental documentation issues, community outreach and economic development issues.

The Orcem California Project involves construction and operation of a processing facility designed for production of a high performance “green” cement, a recycled and beneficiated material produced with an order of magnitude less CO2e and other polluting air emissions than the traditional portland cement consumed in California. This green cement is technically known as ground granulated blast furnace slag (or GGBFS). The Orcem facility will include approximately 78,000 square feet of buildings and equipment, together with outdoor storage areas, and at full capacity will produce approximately 780,000 cubic yards of product annually. Located on approximately 4.83 acres of the former General Mills plant site adjoining Mare Island Strait, the Orcem Project will import a majority of the raw materials through the adjoining Vallejo Marine Terminal project.

The Vallejo Marine Terminal (or VMT) Project focuses on the reestablishment of industrial uses on a separate 34.3-acre portion of the former General Mills plant site. The VMT Project will achieve this goal through removal of a deteriorated timber wharf and construction of a modern deep water terminal with trucking and rail connections servicing the import and export of bulk and break-bulk commodities. Construction of the terminal will require up to 22,000 cubic yards of fill for Phase I, and 115,000 cubic yards of fill for Phase II. In addition to the construction and operation of this modern terminal, the VMT Project also includes reuse of certain existing buildings formerly occupied by the General Mills plant which closed in 2004. Buildings and structures to remain will be used by VMT as administrative and commercial office uses consistent with the City of Vallejo's Intensive Use (IU) Zoning District standards.

The Vallejo Marine Terminal and Orcem Green Cement Mill had all of its permit entitlements prepared and the full Environmental Impact Report was completed; however, the owners of this landmark water-related industrial project did not proceed to final entitlement. This international deep-water shipping terminal and mill for processing of Ground Granular Blast Furnace Slag was to have created living-wage jobs for 192 full time equivalent employees, generated over $2 million in revenues annually to state and local government, accommodated up to 48 deep-water cargo vessels annually, and produced up to 900,000 metric tons of clean alternative “green” cement for major construction projects in the greater Bay Area.

Open in Google Maps