The Cerritos City Council on Monday introduced an ordinance to remove the citywide limit on self‑storage facilities, voting 4–1 to send Development Code Amendment 2025‑3 to a second reading.

City planners told the council the amendment would lift the numerical cap of four facilities but leave zoning, design, and operational standards intact. "This change will allow for additional self storage facilities in the city subject to the permitted zoning designations," Sabina Chan, advanced planning manager, told the council during the presentation.

The item responds to direction the council gave on Aug. 14, 2025. Chan said existing limits—such as a requirement that facilities be sited in the Industrial M and Industrial MC‑2 zones and other code provisions—would remain. The planning commission reviewed the amendment on Oct. 1 but was unable to reach a majority recommendation, so the council considered the measure independently.

Council debate touched on demand, neighborhood impacts and safeguards. Council Member Hong asked about likely benefits to the city and the plan for locating future facilities, saying she was "not 100% opposed" but wanted more detail on location, traffic and design compliance. Council Member Say backed lifting the limit, citing residents' need for more storage options and private investment. Council Member Polito moved the ordinance introduction; Mayor Pro Tem Johnson seconded. The motion passed on a 4–1 vote.

If the council adopts the ordinance on second reading on Nov. 13, staff said implementation would begin Dec. 13, 2025. Chan reiterated that the amendment removes only the numerical cap and does not change the city's development standards: any new self‑storage proposal would still be reviewed by the planning commission and council through the city's normal development review process.

The council did not provide an ordinance number at first reading. Details such as the exact locations of future proposals, unit counts for any new facility, and the identity of the member who voted no were not specified in the meeting record.