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Perris council directs city attorney to draft temporary moratorium on new warehouses after divided public hearing
Summary
After more than 15 public commenters split between labor/industry and environmental/community groups, the council voted 5-0 to direct the city attorney to draft an interim moratorium ordinance on warehouse development (with exemptions for projects with development agreements or issued building permits) for a Dec. 9 vote.
The Perris City Council directed the city attorney to prepare an urgency interim moratorium ordinance that would pause new warehouse and distribution approvals while staff studies truck routes, air quality and zoning changes.
Development Services Director Kenneth Fung framed the moratorium as a temporary tool — an initial 45-day pause that may be extended — to allow the city to update development standards and implement AB 98 truck-route rules. He also summarized options for scope (limit to warehousing/distribution, or to projects over a square-foot threshold) and listed possible exemptions (entitled projects, those in plan check, and development agreements).
Public comment was sharply split. Union representatives and construction trade speakers warned a moratorium would halt jobs and apprenticeships. Juan Serrato of LiUNA said, “These projects are where our apprentices learn the trade and become future workforce.” Developers and industry representatives warned that a moratorium would pause investment and penalize owners who followed the city’s general plan; Paige Gosney, a land-use attorney representing industrial owners, argued the city is already updating its code and recommended broad exemptions for pending applications.
Environmental-justice and neighborhood groups urged a pause to address cumulative air-quality impacts. Tatiana Flores of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice said Perris has “experienced significant cumulative impacts from industrial expansion” and urged the council to require stronger mitigation and health risk assessments.
Mayor Pro Tem Rab moved — and Councilwoman Nava seconded — to direct the city attorney to draft an urgency moratorium ordinance that would apply to warehousing facilities but exempt projects with development agreements and projects with issued building permits, to return for consideration on Dec. 9. The motion passed 5-0.
If adopted as an urgency ordinance the moratorium would require a four-fifths vote to extend beyond the initial 45 days; staff said they intend to bring a formal ordinance and proposed findings to the council at the next scheduled hearing.
