Pomona wants to temporarily halt the installation of warehouses to reduce the impacts of such projects on roads, the environment and the health of its residents.
The city council this month discussed steps it could take to put a moratorium on warehouse clearances as the city and the surrounding area experienced a surge in interest in developing and redeveloping industrially zoned land.
In a 5-1 vote on Monday, 6 June, the Council endorsed the drafting of a package of adjournments and strategies to address the cumulative effects of warehousing in Pomona. Council member Robert Torres voted against the measures. Council member Steve Lustro was absent.
Torres said he rejected the move over concerns about a potential loss of jobs and wanted to see a more thorough explanation from city employees on the postponement. While Torres said he supports the sentiment behind the ban, the temporary pause “would not balance the business needs for this community.”
Development Services Director Anita Gutierrez said the council’s move would not be an outright ban on warehouses, but a call for the city to look at its zoning code “to make sure it’s done better and right”. pause”.
As part of the council’s action, an update of the city’s zoning laws that is currently underway – and has not seen amendments since 1949 – will include land-use designations to better regulate industrial areas. Officials said that by setting certain standards for warehouses, the city can better control the long-term impacts of these projects.
Additionally, a warehouse tax for future ballots is under consideration. The city said the tax would generate money to repair roads damaged by large trucks and offset the cost to properly implement improvements.
A full analysis of the proposed measure and potential revenue will come after the city determines which parcels may be subject to the tax and which services related to industrial land use can be improved.
A full analysis can be submitted within 60 days, meaning that if the council chooses to pursue this option, the 12 August deadline for submitting a ballot for the November 2022 election could be met. Is.
In the meantime, an environmental justice element will be added to the general plan of the city to incorporate a set of principles that could be incorporated into future development frameworks.
Without any regulations, the city will see consequences for truck traffic, poor warehouse design and increased quality of life for those living nearby, according to a report prepared for the council meeting. To address these concerns, the Council is expected to consider an immediate 45-day moratorium on such facilities at its July 18 meeting.
The temporary ban will give the city time to study warehouses and their effects on community and craft policies to address any negative impacts going forward. The council can extend the moratorium twice.
Currently, Pomona’s zoning laws and city codes provide limited environmental protection for new warehouse developments.
“Storage and distribution is permitted as a land use, meaning it is allowed in existing buildings without a public hearing or other discretionary review,” said a report prepared for the council.
The suggested framework for the moratorium will prohibit any new speculative industrial development and new warehousing development across the city except for expansion of existing businesses that do not exceed 20,000 sq ft. It will also prohibit the addition of any new trucking facilities across the city.
The moratorium would still allow all other industrial uses, such as manufacturing, to continue.
Other cities that have previously imposed similar restrictions include Chino, Colton, Riverside and Juropa Valley. Meanwhile, Redlands imposed a temporary ban on non-residential development in a part of the city on June 7 and is set to discuss the option of a citywide measure later this month.
While increased demand for warehouse space is a sign of a growing logistics and e-commerce economy, often these projects are built near communities of color such as Pomona. This forces many neighbors to breathe diesel exhaust from warehouse activities.
According to a state tool that uses census tract information, the majority of Pomona is attributed to a number of public health variables, including ozone levels, pesticide use, toxic releases, traffic, drinking water contaminants, lead in housing, cleaning sites. considered to be “deprived”. Groundwater hazards and hazardous wastes.
“Almost the whole of Pomona is considered a community already deprived of those standards.” Gutierrez said at the June 6 meeting.
What sets Pomona apart from other cities experiencing a growing demand for warehouse space is that existing, older industrial buildings are undergoing redevelopment, many built before the year 2000. This means that many of these new projects will be located in already affected areas in the city.
This is different from what is usually seen in the more spacious cities in the Inland Empire, where vacant parcels or new unincorporated land acquisitions are developed.
“It hurts our community, it hurts our neighbors, not in the short term, in the long term,” Ron Kobas, a member of Clean, Green Pomona, told the meeting. “Air pollution and traffic are just two of those impacts, we can’t accept that.”
Another concerned resident who spoke at the meeting was Linda Hinojos, cofounder of United Voice of Pomona, who said she advocated for residents living in industrial areas in the southeast part of the city, including their parents.
“You, the council, have an opportunity to strongly shape the trajectory of our industrial areas and city, and to undo the wrongs committed by those before you,” Hinojos said.
Council member Nora Garcia, who previously called for the warehouse item to be on the future agenda, said the discussion was overdue.
She said she found similarities among residents of her District 3 to those in North Pomona in 2021, when the Carvana operation at Fairplex ended following community outcry over large trucks passing their homes. Those residents called on the city to take action because of a “quality of life issue,” Garcia said.
“The only difference I see in the issue of these warehouses and caravans is that my friends, family and neighbors do not have the economic power or sometimes the wisdom to fight for themselves,” Garcia told the meeting.
The council has previously approved ordinances to address the cumulative effects of other similar businesses such as waste yards, which were banned in 2017. Two years later, some truck routes that contributed to the cumulative effects on nearby residents were also eliminated.
