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Planning commission recommends denial of 357,610‑sq‑ft warehouse at 1101 California Street after extensive public opposition
Summary
By unanimous vote the commission declined to recommend approval of a planned development for a 357,610 sq ft warehouse at 1101 California Street, citing general plan conformity, traffic and air quality concerns, cumulative impacts and the adequacy of the project's MND.
The Redlands Planning Commission on June 11 unanimously recommended denial of a proposed 357,610‑square‑foot warehouse development at 1101 California Street, a site formerly occupied by Splash Kingdom. Staff presented the plan development and supporting environmental review (a Mitigated Negative Declaration) and a socioeconomic cost‑benefit analysis; the applicant (Palisade Partners) described a concrete tilt‑up warehouse with 47 truck loading bays, screening and landscaping, and said they intend to meet LEED and sustainability standards.
Public comment was extensive and sharply divided. Dozens of residents, health professionals and advocacy groups—among them CARE California—argued the project would worsen air quality, increase diesel truck traffic near homes and a proposed Kaiser Permanente facility, and that the MND understates health, noise and cumulative impacts and therefore an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is required. Care California’s representative summarized consultant findings alleging the MND fails to meet CEQA standards and asked the commission to direct staff to prepare an EIR.
Labor unions and some trade representatives testified in support, saying the project would create local construction jobs, hire a skilled and trained workforce and remove a long‑standing blighted site adjacent to the freeway.
Commission deliberations identified recurring concerns: proximity to sensitive receptors (medical facilities and residential areas), cumulative warehouse development in the region, truck routing and peak‑hour trip generation, and whether the MND adequately analyzed health and air‑quality impacts. Commissioners repeatedly cited the city’s general plan and specific plan intent and expressed unease with approving another large warehouse on a gateway parcel that commissioners said could better serve medical, mixed‑use or more compatible employment uses.
After discussion the commission voted to not adopt the MND, not adopt the socioeconomic cost‑benefit study, and to recommend denial of the planned development and lot merger. Staff and the chair confirmed the action will be forwarded to City Council with required findings.
