Major modification proposed to convert passenger parking to 85 trailer spaces at Perris Valley Commerce Center

The City of Perris Planning Commission heard a staff presentation April 16 on Major Modification 25-00003, a request to convert a passenger-vehicle parking area into 85 truck-trailer parking spaces on the 39.51-acre HiQ warehouse site at 450 E. Bridal Street in the Perris Valley Commerce Center.

Staff told commissioners the proposal would change a portion of the site's parking layout on the east side of the 804,803-square-foot warehouse to accommodate trailer storage while leaving the site fully developed with its existing building, landscaping and parking. Rafael Garcia (staff member) said an addendum to the certified final environmental impact report (EIR) has been prepared and that "all potential environmental impacts associated with the modification are within the envelope of impacts already evaluated back in 2021." Staff recommended adoption of Resolution 25-08 (the CEQA addendum) and approval of Major Modification 25-00003 subject to the conditions listed in the agenda report.

Why it matters: the applicant told the commission the change is being requested to meet a specific prospective tenant's operational needs rather than on a speculative basis. Brandon Dickens, representing property owner/developer IDI Logistics, said the prospective tenant, Green Box Structures, would sign a 15-year lease, invest about $100 million in the building and create roughly 275 jobs if it occupies the space. Dickens said the tenant’s projected truck activity would be substantially lower than the number modeled in the original EIR — "about 80" truck trips daily compared with the EIR assumption of about 366 — and that the modification would increase trailer parking on site to about 249 spaces overall.

Key details and staff findings: Garcia told the commission the revision would reduce passenger-vehicle parking to 206 spaces while leaving the site with an estimated surplus of about 23 vehicle spaces beyond the code requirement. The conversion would concentrate trailer parking on roughly 2.2 acres along the east side of the property, screened from the adjacent storm-drain channel by a proposed 14-foot-high masonry screen wall with perimeter landscaping. Staff conditioned the project to require 36-inch-box trees along the wall to soften its appearance.

Commissioners asked about landscaping species and operational impacts. One commissioner expressed concern about eucalyptus — citing flammability and water use — and the applicant said they were "completely open to whatever the city and commissioners would like to see in this location." The applicant's team included a CEQA consultant (Nicole Morris, TMB) and a landscape designer (Tom Hayes), both of whom attended the hearing.

Process and status: Garcia reminded the commission this site and project were previously reviewed and approved in 2021; that earlier approval was appealed, and the city council upheld the planning commission decision by a 4–1 vote. At this April 16 hearing staff recommended adoption of the CEQA addendum and approval of the major modification subject to conditions. The transcript does not record a final motion or vote by the planning commission on Major Modification 25-00003.

What remains unclear: the transcript does not show a final action, the final wording of conditions if approved, or a schedule for additional hearings. The applicant and staff indicated readiness to respond to commissioner direction on landscaping and screening materials.

Next steps: the item, as presented, remained a discretionary planning action requiring formal commission action; the transcript does not record the commission’s final determination.