South Natomas residents affected by storage facility construction with 3 a.m. start
SACRAMENTO — A new construction project is making some noise in a south Natomas neighborhood, and neighbors say they can't sleep.
The construction site is along West El Camino and Orchard Court. Neighbors say the bright lights shine through their windows and the noise from machinery starts around 3 a.m.
Sacramento city permits show this is the site of a new three-story self-storage building.
We reached out to the Scottsdale-based developer to ask why construction is starting so early in the morning. He said they are in the process of pouring concrete and they obtained all the necessary city permits for the early start time.
According to the city building department, most construction projects cannot begin until 7 a.m. However, in this case, an exemption was made to lay down a concrete foundation.
So why does concrete need to be poured so early?
"Pouring at 3 o'clock in the morning in the summertime, that's probably the best time," said Nicholas Winn, the chief operating officer of Rescue Concrete.
Winn is not working on this specific project but said monitoring the weather is critical to make sure the wet cement properly dries.
"We have heat, which is kind of an obvious issue, but we also have a north wind that can cause many issues," Winn said. "It dries out the surface of the concrete and actually causes the concrete to twist and cause shrinkage cracking."
The builder said they notified those living within a 2,000-foot radius of the project, and the nearby apartment complex, The Core. sent out letters warning about potential disruptions.
Some who live there are already tired of the new neighbor.
"Definitely not the thing you want to wake up to," one resident of The Core said. "I could not get back to sleep."
The City of Sacramento says the early work permit is valid until June 20 and after that, they will have to go back to normal hours.