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Jurupa Valley imposes temporary moratorium on new development in North Pyrite area over Superfund concerns
Summary
The council unanimously adopted an interim urgency ordinance pausing new development in the North Pyrite Master Plan area while the city commissions a comprehensive environmental study related to the Stringfellow Superfund site's off‑site impacts.
The Jurupa Valley City Council on Jan. 15 voted unanimously to adopt an interim urgency ordinance imposing a temporary moratorium on acceptance, processing and approval of new development applications within the North Pyrite Master Plan area.
Staff told the council the moratorium is driven by uncertainty about long‑term environmental conditions in lower North Pyrite Canyon, and by the community’s request that the city verify safety before green‑lighting new projects. The area is adjacent to the Stringfellow Superfund site, where historic hazardous‑waste disposal between 1956 and 1972 has led to a decades‑long cleanup overseen by the Department of Toxic Substances Control and the EPA.
Principal planner Jim Pacheco described possible public‑health pathways — contaminated soils, groundwater and vapor intrusion — and said prior testing has been parcel‑by‑parcel rather than a comprehensive canyon‑wide analysis. Pacheco recommended an initial moratorium of 45 days followed by a potential extension of up to two years while the city prepares an RFP and commissions a comprehensive environmental study to identify hazard areas and assess development suitability.
Environmental groups and community advocates supported the action at the meeting. Penny Newman of CCAEJ, which is part of the Stringfellow enforcement docket, told the council that the moratorium would provide a needed pause to “make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Some property owners asked the council to narrow the moratorium where properties have been specifically tested and cleared; others urged the city to share the cost of studies.
Councilmembers said the moratorium is intended to protect public health and preserve cleanup infrastructure and noted that the study would inform future land‑use decisions. The ordinance allows maintenance of existing legal uses and excludes EPA/DTSC remediation work from the moratorium.
The motion carried 5–0; staff will return with a draft RFP and a schedule for the environmental analysis and follow‑up hearings. The initial ordinance is designed to buy time for comprehensive testing, mapping hazard areas, and determining whether mitigation will make parcels suitable for future development.
