Project Summary

Mountain F Enterprises (MFE) has proposed a project at 12503–12791 Brunswick Road in Grass Valley that would do two things: (1) permit the company's existing fleet truck parking and office use already on the Brunswick property, and (2) relocate MFE's wood-grinding and chipping operation from its current home in the East Bennett Road industrial park to the Brunswick Road parcel — an industrially zoned property surrounded predominantly by rural residential housing. CEA Foundation supports responsible regional solutions for wood-waste processing, but believes this particular project has an inadequate Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) that fails to address a number of issues, including excessive noise and traffic.

Nevada County is processing this project under a MND rather than a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) — meaning the County has concluded, at this stage, that the project's impacts can be reduced to a less-than-significant level through mitigation. CEA Foundation believes this conclusion is premature.

The California Supreme Court has ruled that if substantial evidence supports a fair argument that a project may have a significant environmental effect, an EIR is required — even if the agency has contrary evidence.

Current Status

On August 28, 2026, the Nevada County Planning Commission voted 3-1-1 to recommend approval of the fleet truck parking and office use — without the grinding operation. The decision to exclude grinding was based primarily on Commissioners' concerns about noise but the final decision will rest with the Board. The Planning Department is moving the recommendation forward, with a Board of Supervisors vote currently anticipated after mid-October 2026. CEA Foundation will keep the community informed as the hearing date is confirmed.