Planning Commission recommends council approve 1450 Artesia specific plan after EIR review

The Gardena Planning Commission voted 5-0 Feb. 4 to recommend the City Council certify the final environmental impact report (EIR) and adopt the 1450 Artesia Boulevard specific plan, site plan review and a development agreement for a proposed mixed-use industrial project at 1450 Artesia Blvd.

The recommendation follows a presentation by city staff and Dudek, the city’s EIR consultant, and a developer presentation from Insight Property Group. The project covers about 6.33 acres and proposes demolition of existing structures and construction of a roughly 268,000-square-foot building combining self-storage, industrial/warehouse space and limited office/retail uses, plus a designated community event area. Commissioners voted to forward two resolutions—PC 2-25 (certify EIR) and PC 3-25 (recommend adoption of the specific plan, site plan review and development agreement)—to the City Council for final action.

Staff recommended certification after Dudek’s presentation on the CEQA process and the final EIR’s findings. The EIR analyzed air quality, cultural and tribal resources, geology, greenhouse gases, hazards, hydrology, noise, transportation and utilities. Dudek reported that mitigation measures and project design features would reduce most impacts to less-than-significant levels; one construction-related noise impact adjacent to nearby residences would remain significant and unavoidable unless further measures are taken.

During the hearing, Dudek’s Nicole Cobley told commissioners the EIR treated nearby schools—including the Early Education Center and Gardena High School—as sensitive receptors and incorporated mitigation such as Tier 4 construction equipment and electric cargo-handling equipment for operations. Cobley said the project would not remove contaminated soil from the site; remedial actions would remain on-site under oversight of the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). She said construction noise mitigation would include an eight-foot barrier and other standard measures.

Developer representatives said the site—long known locally as the Gardena Sumps—has a history of industrial use and remediation overseen by Atlantic Richfield Company (ARC) and DTSC. Insight Property Group’s Brian Sorensen described the project footprint constraints caused by existing contamination, railroad tracks and Dominguez Channel setbacks. Design lead CJ Rogers explained truck circulation, a fenced loading area, and parking arranged largely atop the engineered cap that will be placed over contaminated areas.

Supporters from local labor unions addressed the commission during public comment. Jason Baez of Laborers’ International Union of North America and Kyle Patterson of the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters said the project would create apprenticeship and union construction jobs and expressed support for the developer’s local-hiring commitments.

The draft development agreement presented to the commission includes a $1,000,000 monetary contribution to the city, a local-hiring and local-buying commitment for construction, and exclusive rights for the city to use portions of the project’s parking for city events. Staff also noted projected increases in property tax revenue and school fees tied to the development.

Commissioners asked technical questions about the engineered cap, venting and vapor controls, fencing and landscaping adjacent to county-owned land and the railroad. The developer’s environmental consultant and civil engineer described an enhanced cap system with geomembrane liners, drainage layers, vapor extraction wells and perimeter fencing. The developer said DTSC requirements limit planting directly on the cap and that landscaping would be placed in sealed planter boxes designed to protect the cap.

After discussion, Commissioner Sherman moved to adopt the two resolutions recommending certification of the EIR and City Council adoption of the specific plan, site plan review and development agreement. The motion passed unanimously by roll call: Vice Chair Reitschher, Commissioner Langley, Commissioner Sherman, Commissioner Khan and Chair Henderson voting yes.

The Planning Commission’s recommendation moves the project to the City Council; staff said the council is scheduled to consider the item Feb. 20. If the council certifies the EIR, a Notice of Determination would be filed with the Los Angeles County Clerk and State Clearinghouse, beginning the CEQA statute-of-limitations period.