Pepper Avenue Specific Plan Amendment and Industrial Development Project

Pepper Avenue Specific Plan Amendment and Industrial Development Project

The proposed Project includes two distinct components: (1) a Specific Plan Amendment (“proposed Specific Plan Amendment”) to add a new Light Industrial land use designation to PAs 1, 2, 3 and create a new PA10; and (2) a development application for the construction and operation of a 485,000 square foot cross dock industrial warehousing building on PAs 2 and 3 (“proposed industrial development”). The proposed Specific Plan Amendment includes the following changes to the Pepper Avenue Specific Plan: The Draft Specific Plan Amendment states that the Light Industrial land use designation is intended to accommodate a variety of industrial-serving commercial, low-intensity office, technology, light manufacturing, and warehouse/distribution uses that are compatible with the site’s location near the SR 210. The land use designation accommodates storage and warehousing uses, such as e-commerce, high cube warehouses, or distribution, and a wide range of manufacturing and assembly uses are also permitted. The development standards for the new Light Industrial Land Use designation includes building and landscape setbacks, building height limits, and signage requirements. The development standards for the new Light Industrial land use designation include building and landscape setbacks, building height limits, and signage requirements. The proposed Specific Plan Amendment would split PA 1 into two separate PAs – PA 1, encompassing approximately 2.86 acres, and the new PA 10, encompassing approximately 11.56 acres. The reduced PA 1 would remain as Community Commercial and no land use designation changes would occur. The proposed Specific Plan Amendment applies the new Light Industrial land use designation to PA 10. The Light Industrial land use designation is also applied to PAs 2 and 3, which encompass the northeastern portion of the Specific Plan area adjacent to SR-210. The proposed Specific Plan Amendment identifies the maximum buildout of PAs 2, 3, and 10 to be 735,185 square feet of industrial uses. The reduced PA 1 would have a maximum buildout of 13,000 square feet of commercial retail uses. The potential buildout of PAs 1, 2, 3 and 10 would result in a total development potential of 748,185 SF, or an increase of 271,535 SF of Light Industrial and Community Commercial development over the existing Specific Plan development maximum of 476,650 SF of Community Commercial. Proposed Industrial Development: The proposed industrial development would develop a 23.82-acre site within PAs 2 and 3, with one approximately 470,000 square foot industrial warehousing building, that would be a maximum of 53-feet in height and include up to 10,000 SF of office space and a 5,000 square foot mezzanine. The building would have 62 loading docks, 2 at grade doors, and 201 trailer parking spaces on the south side of the building. The building would be used for sorting, warehousing, distribution, and office space. To evaluate full buildout of the proposed Specific Plan Amendment, this Draft Subsequent EIR evaluates development and operation of 485,000 SF of light industrial warehouse uses on PAs 2 and 3. The proposed industrial development would be accessible via three driveways along Pepper Avenue. The north project driveway would be signalized and would be shared with PA 1 and PA 10. The 26-foot-wide center driveway would be an automobile only driveway that would be approximately 287 feet south of the northern driveway and it would be limited to right-in/right-out. The southern driveway would be the truck driveway. It would be 58-foot-wide, approximately 656 feet south of the northern driveway, and unsignalized. It would be limited to southbound (inbound) left-turns and westbound (outbound) right-turns and provide direct truck access to the gated loading bays and trailer parking. Internal vehicular circulation would be provided around the proposed building. Truck and trailer parking and loading would be located on the southern portions of the industrial development site and would be provided pursuant to the City of Rialto Municipal Code. The proposed industrial development would install approximately 103,804 SF of new ornamental landscaping throughout the site that would include a variety of trees, shrubs, accent species, and ground covers and water efficient irrigation that is compliant with California Title 24. The Project includes installation of 9-foot-high walls along Pepper Avenue and along approximately 157 feet of the northern site boundary and along approximately 738 feet of the southern site boundary. The remainder of the site boundary would be lined with 8-foot-high tubular steel fencing. The industrial development site is located within an area that contains existing infrastructure within the adjacent right-of-way. The proposed industrial development would install onsite infrastructure that would connect to the existing infrastructure that is adjacent to the site.

Rialto

San Bernardino

Citywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Inland Deserts Region 6 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, District 8 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Santa Ana Region 8 (RWQCB), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water

Commercial (Sq. Ft. 13000, Acres 2.86, Employees 4), Industrial (Sq. Ft. 735185, Acres 35.56, Employees 612)

Specific Plan, Site Plan, Specific Plan Amendment, Precise Plan of Design

Aesthetics, Air Quality, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Noise, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources