Irvine residents could soon know if they’re living next to a facility that handles hazardous chemicals – a public policy decision spurred by a Garden Grove chemical tank emergency that forced evacuations of tens of thousands of residents in North Orange County.

Irvine City Council members unanimously signed off on new disclosure requirements for businesses operating with toxic chemicals in town on Tuesday night, requiring a notification to any residents within a quarter mile and new zoning restrictions for future businesses. 

The new rules come after over 50,000 people evacuated in May due to a chemical tank in Garden Grove that emergency officials say nearly exploded, along with another incident in La Habra this month that saw an orange cloud of chemicals hang over the city for hours before dissipating with a handful of evacuations. 

While most cities caught up in those evacuations have yet to approve new regulations, Irvine leaders directed their staff to begin drafting new rules in June. 

While city leaders identified over 1,100 businesses working with chemicals, only seven rose to the level of needing a risk management plan according to city staff on Tuesday night, which means they handle “acutely” dangerous chemicals in significant quantities. 

Previously, there were only two zones in the city where businesses had to notify neighbors about the use of chemicals on site. 

Now, any operators with a risk management plan have to notify anyone within a quarter mile about their existence, and new operators would have to obtain a conditional use permit from the city’s planning commission, meaning the use could be denied. 

“By requiring a conditional use permit for uses that require an RMP and expanding the typical public notification radius from 500 feet to one-quarter mile, the zoning text amendment enhances public transparency,” reads the staff report. 

“It also grants the Planning Commission discretionary authority to evaluate whether the proposed use is compatible with surrounding land uses and consistent with public health, safety, and welfare,” the report continued.  

City leaders also removed some outdated rules on handling hazardous chemicals and compounds left from before the county Health Care Agency and OC Fire Authority took over handling those issues in 1997.

“It’s good to see we’re becoming increasingly sophisticated,” Mayor Larry Agran said during Tuesday’s council meeting. 

“Still feels as though we’ve got a long way to go to render our communities really safe.”

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.