300+ bay Katella truck terminal Council discussion Monday (3/18), Open House Tuesday
March 17, 2013 in City Council Meetings, Cypress, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), News you can use, Our Future, Planning & Community Development, Safety By: Dave Emerson
(3/17/2013, Los Alamitos) You may never have heard of Prologis, but according to their website they are “the leading owner and developer of industrial real estate . . . . and distribution facilities worldwide.”
They already have a massive distribution facility in Buena Park on Knott & Artesia, just south of the 91. From a Google Maps satellite view it appears to encompass five large buildings, one with their name and logo painted across the roof.
That’s one of 75 facilities they operate in California, and of 411 Prologis properties across the US.
Worldwide Prologis is involved with properties with a total of over 550 million square feet of properties.
They also have facilities in Anaheim, Long Beach,
A prologis UK facility
L.A., Carson, Brea, La Mirada & Lake Forest. And they want to build another 725,000 square feet of buildings on 33 acres on Katella between Cottonwood Church and the Marriott Residence in.
At the request of Councilman Richard Murphy, a discussion of the facility is on this Monday’s City Council Agenda as Item 9C.
In the Discussion subsection of his staff report to our Council, Los Alamitos’ Community Development Director makes several interesting points (enumeration and bolding mine):
- Cypress has mailed out a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for this proposed project.
- A NOP is the first step in the process as they study the potential environmental impacts of the 725,000 square foot development.
- The NOP provides the City of Los Alamitos and other agencies the opportunity to request that specific impacts be addressed in the future EIR such as traffic counts at specific intersections.
- An NOP is sent out before traffic, air, and noise studies have been prepared, so analysis of impacts has yet to begin.
- Once the studies are produced and published within the Environmental Impact Report, staff will begin the peer review of the studies.
Residents wanting to address the City Council on this issue should note it’s placement on the agenda.
Even if you want to address it in the initial general Oral Communication time slot (where you have five minutes to speak, rather than the three minutes allowed during the item itself), you should note three presentations that look good for a total of at least 15 minutes precede Oral Communications on the agenda.
Tuesday Prologis “Open House”
From Community Development Director Steven Mendoza’s staff report:
Prolgis, the site developer, will host an open house on Tuesday, March 19,2013 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Former Cypress Golf Course Clubhouse (4921 Katella Avenue).
This open house will give the public an opportunity to drop in any time during the session and view plans and ask questions of Prologis.
It should be noted that the invitation to the Open House that was mailed to residents of New Dutch Haven and Carrier Row incorrectly indicated that the former Golf Course Clubhouse was in Los Alamitos, rather than Cypress. In other words, they probably have a lot to learn about our community, including traffic patterns and concerns.
Prologis Park Pozan, II in Poland
I can remember off the top of my head at least two fatal accidents involving trucks on Katella between the 605 freeway and the proposed Prologis site. Not to mention the virtual gridlock on Katella already during morning and evening rush hours.
I would hope Prologis would be receptive to community input. And I would hope many community members make the effort to attend.
The life you save could be your own. Or your child or grandchild’s.
Click her for JM Ivler’s post on the project: “Kat’hell’a and Cypress’ gift to Los Al.”
As always, your perspective, diplomatically expressed, is encouraged.
This Tuesday is an “open house.” Why is that in quotes? Because it’s a “sales pitch?”
Here is the simple question.
What’s in it for you?
List three benefits that the development will have to the residents to the south of the development.
Heck I would love to hear ONE. I can tell you three downside components.
1) More trucks on Katella with more traffic, smog and noise
2) Changes to the street configuration on Katella to benefit them and hurt the residents
3) The 10-20% loss in home value that will come to those living in New Dutch and Carrier Row.
Please come by on Monday and demand that the City Council make clear with a vote on whether they will protect our community or if they will support Cypress business interests.
OK city council, city engineer, community development guy, now is the time to show what you’re made of.
Now is the time to repay those folks who voted for you.
Now is the time to prove your worth as elected and hired city staff.
The impact to our little city is once again under siege from our neighbors. We are now paying the price for letting the shops at rossmoor, costco, the marriott, and other businesses placed on our residential borders.
The results are an increase in noise, traffic, air pollution and crime…and a decrease in home values.
Demand environmental and traffic studies. Call in the EPA to forecast the degradation to our air quality.
Stand up for Los Al.
This is big-boy politics now.
From Cypress’ “Notice of Preparation:” The public comment period begins on March 4, 2013 and ends on April 2, 2013.
That means this is the last Regular Council Meeting for our Council and residents to give direction to our City Staff on what specific impacts need to be addressed, including specific intersections (how about every intersection on Los Al Blvd., Lexington Blvd., Katella Ave., Cerritos Ave., Bloomfield, and Ball Rd. for starters?), pollution, and safety.
This also means you have 2 weeks to send your own letter, as a member of the public, expressing your concerns to Mr. Douglas Hawkins, AICP Planning, City of Cypress, 5272 Orange Ave., Cypress, CA 90630. (714.229.6270)
It should also be noted that ProLogis will be the owner but the facility most likely will be leased, possibly to several different firms. So Los Alamitos needs to address all worst case scenarios. I suspect the Open House on Tuesday will tend to address best case scenarios.
Hi, I just discovered this website … thanks for keeping us informed. This huge trucking facility, known as ‘ProLogis’ belongs in a large Industrial area such as the City of Commerce, parts of Long Beach or elsewhere far away from nice, quiet residential areas. What are the powers that be thinking?!?! We do not need more traffic congestion in the area coming from all these huge trucks …. we need to enhance our quality of life in our area, not diminish it.
Who else should we be calling and writing to beside Mr. Douglas Hawkins of AICP in the City of Cypress?
Thank You !