Rialto council certifies EIR and approves Santa Ana Truck Terminal amid traffic, funding conditions

The Rialto City Council on Oct. 28 certified an environmental impact report and approved land-use entitlements for the Santa Ana Truck Terminal, a proposed 45.7-acre truck terminal and maintenance campus east of Riverside Avenue.

Principal Planner Daniel Casey told the council the project applicant, Crown Venture Holdings LLC, would build a 172,445-square-foot cross-dock terminal and an 18,700-square-foot fleet maintenance building, with up to 100 truck parking spaces, 679 trailer stalls and 149 employee parking spaces. "The project site is comprised of one parcel of land that is approximately 45.7 acres in size," Casey said in his presentation.

The EIR, prepared by Kimley Horn and peer-reviewed by Echo Tierra, concluded the project would have significant and unavoidable impacts on air quality, greenhouse-gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled. Staff presented a statement of overriding considerations, listing economic benefits, job creation and planned infrastructure contributions as reasons the council should approve the project.

Traffic analysis projected up to 951 daily vehicle trips, including as many as 574 truck trips, with AM and PM peak-hour trips of 56 and 124 respectively. The planning staff recommended specific intersection improvements and calculated the project's fair share of the Riverside Avenue widening at $721,711, plus regional traffic development impact fees of about $535,206, both due before building permits are issued.

The applicant proposed voluntary public benefits including repaving the full width of Santa Ana Avenue across the project frontage and a $1,500,000 contribution toward public facilities or infrastructure in the area. Mayor Pro Tem Ed Scott pressed staff on whether the $1.5 million would be at the council's discretion; Casey and staff confirmed council would determine how the funds are used. "The $1,500,000 money contribution for public facilities, that will be up to the discretion of the city council?" Scott asked; staff answered, "That's correct." (Ed Scott is first referenced above as Mayor Pro Tem.)

Council members also questioned whether the EIR should have taken credit for prior heavy-haul operations on the site (previously used by Holiday Rock). Applicant representatives said the EIR analyzed the new facility's trips without offsetting historic mine hauling, and argued consolidation of multiple Riverside Avenue operations into a single facility could reduce heavier historical haul traffic.

After discussion, Councilmember Carla Perez moved to adopt the resolutions to certify the EIR and approve the conditional development permit and precise plan of design. The roll-call vote was Perez Aye; Scott Aye; Montoya Aye; Carasales Aye; Mayor Joe Baca No. The motion passed 4-1.

Next steps: staff will finalize permit conditions and ensure payment of required impact fees and any agreed voluntary contributions prior to permit issuance. The council did not provide a timeline for building permits or construction in its motion.