City council upholds planning commission, clears 560,000-square-foot Intex warehouse after appeals
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Summary
The Long Beach City Council on June 10 denied three appeals, certified an environmental impact report and approved a site plan and street vacation for a proposed 560,000-square-foot Intex warehouse and corporate office in West Long Beach, rejecting opponents’ claims that the project's greenhouse gas analysis was inadequate.
The Long Beach City Council on June 10 certified an environmental impact report (EIR), denied three appeals and approved a site plan and a street vacation to allow construction of a new 60-foot-tall warehouse and corporate office for Intex Properties at 4000 Via Oro Avenue in West Long Beach.
The project would consolidate Intex operations into a roughly 560,000-square-foot building with about 570 auto parking stalls, 66 truck docks and a 240-foot-deep truck court adjacent to the 710 Freeway. The developer and staff told the council the site is one of the largest remaining development parcels in the West Long Beach Business Park (Planned Development 26) and consistent with longstanding industrial land-use policy for the area.
The project was approved by the Planning Commission May 1 but drew three appeals, arguing the EIR failed to analyze greenhouse gas impacts properly and that the project conflicted with the Long Beach Climate Action Plan (LBCAP). Advocates for the Environment, represented at the hearing by Aria Suprono, told council the EIR’s streamlined approach (tiering from the LBCAP) did not demonstrate the project’s emissions would meet the LBCAP’s per-capita targets and that additional mitigation — for example, heavy‑duty truck electrification requirements — was feasible and required.
City planning staff, who recommended denial of the appeals, told council the project complies with PD‑26 zoning and the general plan and that the LBCAP is a qualified climate-action plan for CEQA streamlining under state guidance. Staff said mitigation and project design measures — including required solar readiness, EV infrastructure, transportation demand management, and a condition limiting the site to the proposed warehouse/office use (excluding “party logistics” without a separate conditional use permit) — reduce impacts to a level that the city’s CEQA findings can support.
CREED LA’s representative Aidan Marshall said during the hearing that CREED LA and the applicant had reached an agreement in principle to resolve some issues raised by the organization; CREED LA submitted a letter to the city that was provided to council. The applicant’s representative, Jeff Pearson, supported staff’s recommendation and said Intex intends to consolidate local operations and pursue community benefits, including local hiring and community partnerships.
Several community speakers — including representatives from local nonprofits and trade unions — addressed the council in support of the project, citing construction jobs and permanent employment opportunities. Opponents focused their comments during the appeals on climate policy, truck emissions and cumulative impacts from warehousing.
After deliberation the council voted to deny the appeals, adopt the CEQA findings and mitigation monitoring program, approve the vacation of Via Alcalde Avenue (to be retroceded if future Caltrans right-of-way is required), and approve site plan review for the project. Council members and staff emphasized that retrocession obligations and recorded conditions will protect the public interest if any portion of the site must be taken for future regional freeway projects.
The approvals are final actions of the council; details of conditions of approval and recorded instruments will be prepared as part of the entitlement process.
