Carson council ends refinery moratorium, forms task force to guide redevelopment

The Carson City Council voted to allow an interim moratorium on redevelopment of the Phillips 66 refinery site to expire and approved forming a community task force to guide cleanup and future planning.

The council’s action follows nearly a year of staff work and consultant reviews required under Government Code Section 65858(d). Assistant City Manager Robert Lennox told the council staff had completed the studies and planning steps the moratorium was designed to buy time for, including changing the general plan to require a specific plan for the refinery site and hiring environmental consultants to monitor decommissioning activity.

Council members and residents who spoke at the public hearing cited competing priorities. Representatives of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) urged the council to extend the moratorium for another 12 months and to create a formal oversight task force with community members, health experts and workers to weigh in on cleanup and redevelopment plans. "We support the extension of the moratorium to give more time for preparation and planning," said Sang, speaking for APEN during the public comment period. Kya Lay and Kaye Sanchez, also with APEN, told the council the original ordinance’s goals — public transparency and environmental study — had not been met and asked for more time to mobilize residents.

City Attorney Sunita Sultani and planning staff said the city has already taken key steps intended to preserve council discretion over the site. Sultani summarized staff work: "The planning commission and the city council changed the general plan to require a specific plan for any future developments, thereby giving full discretion to this council as to what uses go into that site." Planning Manager Makena Alexander confirmed staff stood ready to begin an environmental-review process if and when Phillips 66 or another party files a redevelopment application.

After discussion the council voted to let the moratorium lapse and to form a task force that will include residents, affected stakeholders and city staff. The task force was directed to help plan community outreach, review decommissioning updates from environmental consultants and report back to the council. Councilmembers identified that the task force should include representation from districts bordering the refinery and requested a robust community outreach plan, including door-to-door canvassing in southern neighborhoods.

The council did not specify a binding membership list during the vote; councilmembers said two council members would serve as liaisons and that staff would return with a proposed task force structure and outreach plan at a future meeting. The vote carried. No redevelopment application had been filed publicly with the city at the time of the meeting, and staff reiterated that any formal application would trigger the environmental review and public hearings required by law.

Why this matters: The refinery site is one of the largest parcels in Carson. The city’s decision to require a specific plan preserves local land-use control and guarantees public review if a redevelopment proposal is filed. The task force is intended to give residents a continued voice as decommissioning and planning proceed.

What’s next: Staff will return with a proposed task-force membership, outreach plan and schedule; any redevelopment application filed after the moratorium lapses would be subject to environmental review and additional public hearings.