After more than half a century of crunching metal and pulling parts, East Palo Alto’s last auto salvage yard is being shown the exit. The city’s Planning Commission has voted to deny the special‑use permit that lets Infinity Salvage operate, a move that will effectively shut down normal business at the longtime Bay Road yard.
Commissioners cited a long trail of code violations, unresolved damage from a 2024 fire and hazardous materials stored on site as reasons for pulling the plug. Owner Michael Baker, who bought the yard in 1974 and has run it for decades, told commissioners the problems were never intentional and argued that the business plays a crucial role in recycling cars and keeping used parts affordable for local residents.
The commission did not go for a soft landing. In a 6-1 vote, it rejected a staff‑backed plan for a slow wind‑down and instead opted to simply deny the permit, leaving the site’s future wide open, according to Palo Alto Online. Commissioner Robert Allen Fisk was the lone vote against the denial, the outlet reported. Staff have been directed to return with a formal resolution at the July 27 meeting, where the decision is expected to be finalized.
That call did not happen in a vacuum. The commission’s move tracks with years of pressure to clean up the city’s waterfront, especially around Cooley Landing, and with public health concerns in a community where residents experience higher asthma rates than those in surrounding cities, Palo Alto Online noted.
Fire, leaks and hazardous storage
City planning records lay out a pattern that clearly troubled regulators. Inspections over time found petroleum leaks, pooled oil and unsafe storage of lead‑acid batteries at the Bay Road facility. Things escalated after a July 14, 2024 blaze, when a post‑fire inspection documented charred forklifts, burned vehicles and damage to a drain station on the site.
Local agencies set cleanup and compliance deadlines following that fire, but the file indicates those requirements were not fully met. Those findings became the backbone of city staff’s recommendations and helped drive the commission’s decision to sharply curtail Infinity Salvage’s operations, according to city planning documents.
Owner defends the yard
Baker pushed back at the hearing, saying his crew had worked to correct problems and stressing that any violations were unintentional. He pointed to the yard’s role in salvaging usable parts, providing low‑cost components to residents and keeping scrap metal and other materials out of landfills, according to local reporting.
The operation has deep roots. Before Baker bought the business in 1974, the site had already been operating as Sam's Auto Wreckers since the 1940s. Baker told officials he intends to hold on to the property even if the salvage yard is forced to close and would seek another tenant rather than sell.
City staff had floated a three‑year phased wind‑down that would have given Baker time to shut the yard gradually. The commission said no to that plan and instead chose a straight denial of the special‑use permit, leaving Baker and neighbors waiting on the formal resolution that will spell out exact timelines and next steps, Palo Alto Online reported.
Waterfront redevelopment in play
The fate of Infinity Salvage is also tied to a much bigger story about what East Palo Alto wants its waterfront to be. For years, the city has been pushing to transform the Ravenswood/4 Corners area toward office and waterfront uses rather than heavy industry. The 2013 Ravenswood/4 Corners Transit Oriented Development Specific Plan spells that out clearly, aiming to keep industrial operations from undermining both public health and long‑term redevelopment goals.
At the commission meeting, planners pointed out that a waterfront office or similar commercial use would fit that vision far better than an auto wrecking yard next to Cooley Landing and nearby open space. The specific plan itself provides the policy framework for that transition, as outlined in the Ravenswood/4 Corners Specific Plan.
What happens next
The commission has told staff to draft a formal resolution laying out the permit denial and any enforcement actions. That document, expected to come back on July 27, will likely set a closure deadline and chart the enforcement path.
Under the municipal code tied to special‑use permits, if Infinity Salvage does not meet any conditions the city lays down, staff can begin revocation proceedings, according to the city's report. For now, Baker remains the landowner, and the site sits in limbo as a possible candidate for future redevelopment if and when the salvage operation finally shuts its gates.
