Planning commission approves 290‑unit storage facility at 611 E. 12th St.; vote 4-0

The Imperial City Planning Commission on March 26 approved a conditional use permit allowing a 290‑unit public storage facility to operate at 611 East 12th Street (Assessor’s Parcel Number 063-12003), voting 4-0 to adopt Resolution PC2025-05.

The commission approved the project after staff recommended approval and after commissioners questioned site access, utilities and stormwater retention. Staff advised the project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Section 15332 (infill development projects).

Josh Quintero, the project owner, introduced the application and told commissioners, “I’m owner of the project, and just here if you guys have any questions for our project so we can keep it moving forward.” Staff presented the proposal as a public storage facility with 290 units in the industrial rail‑served zone; the staff report stated, “Steph recommends approval of conditional use permit 25 0 1 to allow the operation of the storage facility within the industrial rail served zone.”

Commissioners and the applicant discussed several implementation details. Quintero said he had submitted a record of survey and a street abandonment request that he was coordinating with city staff and with David Dell to clean up parcel lines. He said one small privately held parcel in the middle of the proposed site is owned by a group of investors with nine owners; the broker handling that parcel told Quintero it needed six of nine consents and that the project currently had four. Quintero said that uncertainty left one undeveloped, trash‑filled lot inside his proposed site and that he had tried to contact the owners without success.

The city attorney (unnamed in the record) told Quintero staff would “start meeting internally and see if we can come up with a way to assist, based on our current rules,” and later staff said fines had been issued on the parcel. Quintero described the abandoned lot as a fire hazard and asked whether fines could be cleared if he purchased the property and cleaned it.

Commissioners also reviewed emergency access and water infrastructure. Staff and the applicant described existing hydrants near the site and said an additional on‑site hydrant would be required to serve a second phase building behind an existing machine shop; the discussion noted up to four hydrants would serve the overall redevelopment area after planned work. On stormwater, the applicant and staff discussed retention basins and opportunities for reductions where basins are infeasible; staff said parking areas can sometimes be credited toward retention and that the city attempts to be flexible when full on‑site retention is not feasible.

Quintero said construction preparations were already underway — compaction tests and lot cleanup were complete — and that he was ready to “start digging footings as soon as we get a permit.” After commission discussion closed, a motion to adopt Resolution PC2025-05 passed by a 4-0 vote.

The commission closed the public hearing and moved the item forward; staff and the applicant indicated outstanding actions include completing the street abandonment and the record adjustments and resolving ownership of the small parcel inside the project footprint.