Jurupa Valley restricts new truck-traffic-generating businesses

Businesses that generate tons of truck traffic are spread all over Jurupa Valley.

Going forward, new such enterprises will be restricted to a few heavy manufacturing zones under an ordinance passed Thursday night, Dec. 2, by the Jurupa Valley City Council.

The local law, which requires a second approval on Thursday Dec. 16 and would take effect 30 days later, is the product of study during a year-long moratorium on new “truck-intensive uses” that Jurupa Valley put in place. Officials have been trying to get a handle on the growing volume of heavy trucks traversing the city of 105,000.

“The whole point of bringing this truck moratorium in the first place was because we have so many trucks in so many places,” Councilmember Brian Berkson said, according to the meeting videotape. “And we wanted to put it all together and figure out where they are coming from, where they are going, where we should have restrictions and where we shouldn’t, to help our community.”

The moratorium is set to end Jan. 22.

However, the council agreed to leave the temporary ban on new projects in place for another year at four locations currently zoned for heavy manufacturing but targeted for rezoning — places where the city doesn’t want any more truck-generating businesses. Those locations are in the Agua Mansa north of the 60 Freeway, the area around Flabob Airport, Sierra Avenue next to the city’s northern boundary and an area stretching east along the Santa Ana River from Clay Street and Van Buren Boulevard.

The council voted 4-0 to extend the moratorium in those areas until Jan. 22, 2023 and to adopt the ordinance. Mayor Lorena Barajas was ill and did not attend the meeting.

“It would have been a 5-0 vote if I would have been there,” she said Friday, Dec. 3.

The ordinance bars enterprises that rely on heavy trucks in most of the city’s commercial, industrial and manufacturing zones. The city lists such uses as trucking and transport businesses, truck or semi-trailer storage yards, heavy equipment sales and rental operations, auto auctions, salvage yards and contractor storage yards.

Truck storage yards no longer will be allowed, a city report states, and vehicles will have to be stored within enclosed buildings.

The ordinance also prohibits truck stops and travel centers in the city, the report states.

When it takes effect, the law will result in some existing businesses being out of compliance with new rules. However, said Principal Planner Jim Pechous, “these nonconforming uses that are legal at the time of … the effective date of the ordinance don’t have to pack up and leave.”

Pechous told councilmembers the businesses may continue operating up to 40 more years and expand by as much as 25%.

What wasn’t clear, Community Development Director Joe Perez said at the meeting in response to a business owner’s question, was whether a nonconforming business may continue operating for 40 years if its permit is set to expire earlier.

Heavy truck traffic has been an issue in the Riverside County city, which is bisected by the 60 Freeway, a major artery for transporting goods. Like many Inland Empire cities, Jurupa Valley has seen an explosion in warehouse growth and truck traffic in recent years.

Jurupa Valley already restricts distribution warehouses to two places in town — the city’s northwestern and northeastern corners.

Through the ordinance, Councilmember Chris Barajas said on Friday that the city was moving to restrict other businesses that use heavy trucks and to ease their pollution, noise and traffic impacts on neighborhoods, schools and parks.

At the same time, he said, the city is leaving some places for those businesses.

“Truck intensive uses are not completely banned,” he said.