Baldwin Park commission approves indoor/outdoor soccer training facility with limits on hours, events and parking

The Baldwin Park Planning Commission on March 26 approved a conditional use permit and associated design review for an indoor/outdoor soccer training facility at 14412 and 14424 Joan Bridge Street, finding the project exempt from CEQA under a Class 32 categorical exemption and attaching conditions to address neighbors’ concerns.

Planning staff told commissioners the project proposes to remodel an existing industrial building into a soccer training facility with an internal large field, smaller second-floor fields and meeting rooms, 39 parking spaces and perimeter fencing and padding. Staff said the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) for the industrial zone is 0.75 and the existing building’s FAR is 0.52, which is within limits. A photometric plan and a noise analysis were submitted with the application and reviewed by city staff and consultants, and staff recommended approval in PC Resolution PC 23-8 for CP23-005 and PR23-21.

The commission’s final approval includes limits added during deliberations: training must end by 9:30 p.m. (applicant agreed), all site operations must end and lights be off by 10:00 p.m., no tournaments or walk-ins, no outdoor amplified music, microphones, whistles or horns, and signage shall limit parking on the subject property to patrons (including guardians) and employees. The commission’s vote was 3–1–1 (Yes: Chair Pena, Commissioner Escobosa, Commissioner Miranda; No: Commissioner Rodriguez; Abstain: Vice Chair Gonzales). The staff report notes a 15-day appeal period for the decision.

Why it matters: Residents who live immediately behind the site pressed the commission during the public hearing, saying the building is closer to property lines than typical industrial setbacks, that lights and noise would affect backyards, and that existing neighborhood streets could be used for overflow parking. Commissioners sought more-specific enforceable language beyond the applicant’s business narrative; the added conditions were intended to give the city clearer grounds for enforcement if the use changes.

What staff and applicants said Planning staff explained the proposal and recommended approval, saying the project would provide 39 parking spaces (the code minimum calculation would have required 13 spaces, while staff estimated peak demand at 26–29 spaces), that the field fencing and lights would be at or below the 25-foot height limit for the zone, and that padding on the perimeter fencing is expected to reduce noise by roughly 10 decibels to about 49.1 dB under the submitted analysis. Staff also stated the project is exempt from CEQA under Class 32 (infill development) based on the materials and technical appendices in the staff report.

Sheema Beringi, the project owner, said the facility is intended as a narrowly focused training center for Baldwin Park youth: “I am deeply committed and passionate to creating opportunities for the young kids within the Baldwin Park community to learn and to play and develop when it comes to soccer,” Beringi told the commission. Applicant counsel Travis Van Leighton of Rutan and Tucker asked the commission to defer to the technical reports reviewed by staff and city subconsultants and said the applicants would comply with any additional conditions the commission required.

Neighbor concerns and applicant responses Several neighbors who live directly behind the site urged the commission to deny or continue the application. Susan Cole, who said she owns the property directly behind the proposed facility, told the commission, “The staff report is woefully different from the facts,” and urged more time to review details, including setback and parking issues. Other nearby residents voiced concerns about light trespass, noise and potential loss of privacy caused by a structure and fences up to 25 feet tall near backyards.

The applicant and counsel said the business plan is narrowly tailored for instruction (no walk-ins, no tournaments) and that many of the neighbors’ concerns have been addressed in revised plans and proposed conditions. The applicants agreed during deliberations to a condition that training would stop at 9:30 p.m. and to accept a requirement that the city may investigate complaints and verify ongoing compliance.

Formal actions and next steps - Action: Planning Commission adopted Resolution PC 23-8 approving CP23-005 and PR23-21 (conditional use permit and design review) and found the project categorically exempt from CEQA under Class 32. Vote on final motion: yes — Chair Pena, Commissioner Escobosa, Commissioner Miranda; no — Commissioner Rodriguez; abstain — Vice Chair Gonzales. Tally: Yes 3, No 1, Abstain 1. The commission announced a 15-day appeal period.

- Related consent action: The commission also approved minutes from the Feb. 26, 2025 planning commission meeting on the consent calendar earlier in the session.

Details to watch The project record includes the applicant’s business plan and technical appendices (noise, traffic, photometric plans) that staff and city subconsultants reviewed. The city’s conditions require substantial compliance with that business plan and add the restrictions summarized above. If the use deviates from those documents, staff said violations could trigger code enforcement and possible reconsideration of the permit; the applicant could also appeal or the item could be appealed to the City Council during the appeal period.

Community context The site is in an industrial zone that directly adjoins residential lots to the south. Neighbors and commissioners repeatedly raised parking queuing, light trespass and nighttime noise as the principal community impacts to be monitored if the permit is approved.

Appeal and timing The commission recorded the approval on March 26, 2025; the decision is subject to a 15-day appeal period. If appealed, the City Council would review the matter. The permit’s implementation will proceed through plan check and building permits, at which stage the city will review final photometric and building plans for compliance with the municipal code.