For the Planning Commission Meeting of October 21, 2026
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Christina Taylor, Community Development Director
REVIEWED BY: Daniel Casey, Community Development Manager
FROM: Jason Costa, Associate Planner
Title
Variance No. 26-0003: A request to allow a variance from Section 18.104.025B of the Rialto Municipal Code to allow the establishment of a truck yard across the street from existing residential uses, as it relates to a proposal to develop a truck yard on approximately 6.55 acres of land (APN: 0258-111-43) located at the northwest corner of Jurupa Avenue and Willow Avenue within the Light Manufacturing (M-1) zone.
Conditional Development Permit No. 26-0006: A request to allow the development and operation of a truck yard with an 8,400 square foot maintenance/office building on approximately 6.55 acres of land (APN: 0258-111-43) located at the northwest corner of Jurupa Avenue and Willow Avenue within the Light Manufacturing (M-1) zone.
Precise Plan of Design No. 26-0007: A request to allow the development of a truck yard with an 8,400 square foot maintenance/office building and associated paving, landscaping, lighting, and drainage improvements on approximately 6.55 acres of land (APN: 0258-111-43) located at the northwest corner of Jurupa Avenue and Willow Avenue within the Light Manufacturing (M-1) zone.
Environmental Assessment Review No. 26-0011: An Addendum to the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project (SCH: 2023080604) has been prepared for consideration in conjunction with Variance No. 26-0003, Conditional Development Permit No. 26-0006, and Precise Plan of Design No. 26-0007, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Body
APPLICANT:
Dedeaux Properties, 1222 6th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401.
LOCATION:
The project site consists of one (1) parcel of land (APN: 0258-111-43) located at the northwest corner of Jurupa Avenue and Willow Avenue (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding General Plan Land Use Designations
Location
General Plan Designation
Site
Light Industrial
North
Light Industrial
East
Light Industrial with a Specific Plan Overlay (Agua Mansa SP)
South
Light Industrial / Unincorporated San Bernardino County
West
Unincorporated San Bernardino County
Surrounding Zoning Designations
Location
Zoning and Specific Plan Land Use Designations
Site
Light Manufacturing (M-1)
North
Light Manufacturing (M-1)
East
Agua Mansa Specific Plan (Heavy Industrial (H-IND))
South
Light Manufacturing (M-1) / Unincorporated San Bernardino County
West
Unincorporated San Bernardino County
Site Characteristics
The project site consists of one (1) 6.55-acre parcel of land (APN: 0258-111-43) located at the northwest corner of Jurupa Avenue and Willow Avenue. The site is vacant and unimproved land consisting of dirt, shrubs, and brush.
Surrounding Area
To the north of the project site is an approximately 77,500 square foot truck terminal facility occupied by Hollywood Delivery Service, and to the east, across Willow Avenue, are several industrial developments, including a pallet yard, a tow yard, and a truck and trailer repair facility. To the south, across Jurupa Avenue, are two (2) legal non-conforming single-family residences within the City of Rialto and one (1) single-family residence within the jurisdiction of the County of San Bernardino, and to the west is a single-family residence within the jurisdiction of the County of San Bernardino.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
Dedeaux Properties, the applicant, proposes to develop a truck yard consisting of an 8,400 square foot maintenance/office building, paving, landscaping, lighting, fencing, and drainage improvements. Upon completion of construction, the applicant intends to lease the truck yard to a single tenant with a fleet operation.
Entitlement Requirements
The following entitlements are required for the applicant’s proposal:
Conditional Development Permit: Per Chapter 18.104 (Outdoor Storage Uses) of the Rialto Municipal Code, the development and operation of a truck yard within the M-1 zone requires the approval of a Conditional Development Permit.
Precise Plan of Design: Per Section 18.65.010 of the Rialto Municipal Code, the design of the development and the related site improvements (e.g., building exterior, screen walls, landscaping, etc.) requires the approval of a Precise Plan of Design.
Site Design
According to the site plan (Exhibit B), the development will include a new 8,400 square-foot maintenance/office building, paving for parking areas, street improvements, screen walls, and landscaping. The applicant will construct the maintenance/office building near the southeast corner of the project site. A passenger vehicle parking lot containing 25 parking spaces (including six (6) accessible) will be located on the south side of the project site along the Jurupa Avenue frontage, and a truck and trailer storage yard area will be located to the north and west of the maintenance/office building. The truck and trailer storage yard area will accommodate the parking of up to 194 trailers.
A new split-face block wall will be installed on the east, south, and west sides of the truck and trailer storage yard area to screen views of trucks and trailers from the public right-of-way. The wall will vary in height, from 8 feet up to 14 feet, and is designed to ensure that all trucks and trailers are fully screened from public view. Additionally, the site will have a 25-foot-wide landscape planter along the Willow Avenue frontage, a 15-foot-wide landscape planter along the Jurupa Avenue frontage, a 22-foot-wide landscape planter along the west property line, and a 10-foot-wide landscape planter along the north property line.
Access
Two (2) new driveways will provide access to the site. One (1) 50-foot-wide driveway on the north end of the Willow Avenue frontage will provide full access for trucks only, and one (1) 26-foot-wide driveway in the middle of the Jurupa Avenue frontage will provide full access for passenger vehicles only. Furthermore, the driveway connected to Willow Avenue will have a depth of 96 feet, as measured from the property line to the entry gate, to ensure that trucks will not queue into the public street as they wait for the gate to open.
Floor Plan
The floor plan for the proposed building (Exhibit C) indicates that the building will have a footprint dimension of approximately 100 feet by 60 feet. The south side of the building will feature approximately 2,400 square feet of office space on the ground floor and an additional 2,400 square feet of office space on a second-floor mezzanine. The office space will include a lobby, a conference room, four (4) offices, open office areas, three (3) restrooms, and mechanical and janitorial rooms. The north side of the building will consist of approximately 3,600 square feet floor area dedicated to truck maintenance. The maintenance area will include three (3) maintenance bays and three (3) roll-up doors that are only accessible from the truck and trailer storage yard area. (Exhibit C).
Architectural Design
The proposed building will feature significant vertical and horizontal wall plane articulation in the form of off-set wall planes, projected columns, and wall height variations on all four (4) sides of the building. As shown on the elevations (Exhibit D), the height of the building will range from 30 feet to 33.3 feet from the finished floor level. The exterior of the building will consist of split-face and precision concrete block with three (3) different gray tones. Additional architectural features of the building include wall trellises, metal eyebrow canopies, and glazing.
Parking
The development will have 25 passenger vehicle parking spaces, including four (4) ADA accessible parking spaces. This quantity exceeds the minimum parking requirement as shown in the parking calculation chart below and as required by Chapter 18.58 (Off-Street Parking) of the Rialto Municipal Code.
Type of Use
Floor Area (square feet)
Parking Ratio
Number of spaces required
Office
Ground floor
Above ground floor
Maintenance
2,400
2,400
3,600
1 / 250
1 / 500
1 / 500
10|1010||1010|
Total Required / Total Provided
23 / 25
Landscaping
The landscape coverage for the project is 25.5 percent, which exceeds the minimum required amount of 10.0 percent. This includes a 25-foot-wide landscape setback along Willow Avenue, a 15-foot-wide landscape setback along Jurupa Avenue, as well as planters around the perimeter of the site and the parking areas. All the landscape planters will feature a variety of trees spaced every thirty (30) linear feet and an abundant amount of shrubs and groundcover (Exhibit E).
Traffic
Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. prepared a Traffic Impact Analysis Scoping Agreement (TIASA), dated April 13, 2026, to assess the project’s potential impacts to local streets and intersections, as well as vehicle miles travelled (Exhibit F). The TIASA estimates that the project will generate up to 163 actual daily vehicle trips (321 PCE daily vehicle trips) with 10 trips in the AM peak hour and 13 trips in the PM peak hour. Trucks will constitute up to 95 of the 163 actual daily vehicle trips. The TIASA concluded that the project would generate an insignificant amount of traffic, and all nearby intersections and roadway segments will continue to operate under their current Level of Service (LOS). The nearby intersections and roadway segments do not require any improvements to maintain the current LOS, and therefore the project will not be responsible for the payment of “fair-share” fees.
Additionally, the project will construct half-width street improvements along the entire project frontages of Willow Avenue and Jurupa Avenue, and the applicant will pay development impact fees related to traffic. All development impact fees must be paid prior to issuance of any building permits and all street improvements must be completed prior to final inspection and occupancy.
Variance
Section 18.104.025B of the Rialto Municipal Code prohibits truck yards from being located adjacent to or across a street or intersection from residentially zoned or used land within the City of Rialto. As previously discussed, the project proposes to develop and operate a truck yard across Jurupa Avenue from two (2) existing legal-nonconforming single-family residences within the City of Rialto. To address the proximity to these residences, the applicant filed a Variance application with the Planning Division.
The project site and the existing residences across Jurupa Avenue are in an area that is industrial in nature. For example, the project site is immediately adjacent to two (2) truck intensive uses, a truck terminal facility to the north and a truck and trailer repair facility to the east. The truck and trailer repair facility is located directly across the intersection of Jurupa Avenue and Willow Avenue from the existing residences. Furthermore, the existing residences across Jurupa Avenue are also with the Light Manufacturing (M-1) zone and could potentially be redeveloped with industrial uses, including a truck yard, at any time in the future.
Regardless of the industrial character of the surrounding area, the project has been designed to minimize impacts on the existing residential uses. Impact minimizing design features include the following:
Truck and trailer storage yard activities completely screened by solid block walls.
Truck and trailer storage yard setback approximately 175 feet from the nearest of the two (2) existing residences across Jurupa Avenue.
No truck access on Jurupa Avenue. Trucks will only access the site via Willow Avenue thereby avoiding the existing residences across Jurupa Avenue.
The Willow Avenue driveway has been placed approximately 500 feet from the nearest of the two (2) existing residences across Jurupa Avenue.
The variance will maintain consistency with the existing industrial developments in the surrounding area while minimizing impacts on the existing residences across Jurupa Avenue to greatest extent feasible. Therefore, the Planning Division recommends approval of the variance request. However, the following findings from Section 18.64.020 of the Rialto Municipal Code must be made prior to Planning Commission approval of Variance No. 26-0003:
That there are exceptional circumstances or conditions applicable to the property involved, or to the intended use of the property, that do not apply generally to the property or class of use in the same vicinity or district.
The project site is within the Light Manufacturing (M-1) zone which is one of five zones specifically designated for truck yards by Chapter 18.104 (Outdoor Storage Uses) of the Rialto Municipal Code. The project meets all required criteria except for proximity to residential uses within the City. However, there are other truck-related uses in the immediate area, including a truck and trailer repair facility directly across the intersection from existing residences. Additionally, the residences are also with the Light Manufacturing (M-1) zone and could potentially be redeveloped with industrial uses, including a truck yard, at any time in the future.
That such variance is necessary for the preservation and enjoyment of a substantial property right of the applicant as possessed by other property owners in the same vicinity and district.
The project proposal involves the development and operation of a truck yard on the project site. The project site is located within the M-1 zone, and truck yards are conditionally permitted within the M-1 zone. The area surrounding the project site and the existing residences across the street is dominated by existing industrial uses. For example, the project site is immediately adjacent to two (2) truck intensive uses, a truck terminal facility to the north and a truck and trailer repair facility to the east. The truck and trailer repair facility is located directly across the intersection of Jurupa Avenue and Willow Avenue from the existing residences. These existing industrial uses are not precluded from operating trucks in the area around the existing residences. Additionally, these existing industrial uses are not necessarily designed to minimize impacts to the same extent as the project. Furthermore, the existing residences could potentially redevelop into a truck yard, or another truck intensive use that’s permitted in the M-1 zone, at any time without any proximity restrictions. The variance will allow this project to develop and operate in the same manner that all the surrounding properties are allowed to develop and operate in.
That the granting of such variance will not be materially detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to the property or improvements in such vicinity and district in which the property is located.
Granting this variance would facilitate the development and operation of a truck yard on the project site. The project has been designed and conditioned to have all trucks enter and exit the Willow Avenue driveway and avoid the existing residences to the south. Additionally, the design includes screen walls, landscape buffering, and increased setbacks to ensure that the project will not negatively impact the residences to the south of the project site. Furthermore, an Addendum to the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project (SCH: 2023080604) has been prepared for the project in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the Addendum concluded that the project will not create any unavoidable significant impacts.
That the granting of such variance will not adversely affect the master plan.
Granting the variance will facilitate the development and operation of a truck yard that has been designed to minimize impacts and the existing residences across the street on the south side of Jurupa Avenue. This is in keeping with General Plan Land Use Element Goal 2-22, which requires the City to “Promote commercial and/or industrial development planned that is well designed, people-oriented, environmentally sustainable, sensitive to the needs of the visitor or resident, and functionally efficient for its purpose” and General Plan Economic Development Element Goal 3-1, which requires the City to “Strengthen and diversify the economic base and employment opportunities and maintain a positive business climate”. Other than the variance for the proximity to existing residential uses within the City, the project conforms to all other aspects of Chapter 18.31 (M-1 Light Manufacturing Zone), Chapter 18.61 (Design Guidelines), and Chapter 18.104 (Outdoor Storage Uses) of the Rialto Municipal Code.
As demonstrated above, all the required findings necessary for granting the variance can be made in a positive manner.
Land Use Compatibility
The project is consistent with the Light Manufacturing (M-1) zone of the Rialto Municipal Code, Chapter 18.61 (Design Guidelines) of the Rialto Municipal Code, and Chapter 18.104 (Outdoor Storage Uses) of the Rialto Municipal Code. The most sensitive uses near the project site are the existing single-family residences located to the south and west of the project site. These properties are not expected to be negatively impacted by the proposed project, since measures, such as landscape buffering and block wall screening, will be implemented. Additionally, the Draft Resolutions contain conditions of approval requiring that the project trucks avoid the nearby residential uses and that the project truck trips not exceed the trip estimate contained within the TIASA, thereby ensuring that the project traffic will not significantly impact local streets and intersections or the nearby residential uses.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The project is consistent with the following goals and policies of the Land Use Element and Economic Development Element of the Rialto General Plan:
Goal 2-22: Promote commercial and/or industrial development that is well designed, people-oriented, environmentally sustainable, sensitive to the needs of the visitor or resident, and functionally efficient for its purpose.
Policy 2-22.3: Require that landscape plantings be incorporated into commercial and industrial projects to define and emphasize entrances, inclusive of those areas along the front of a building facing a parking lot.
Policy 2-22.7: Require outdoor storage areas, where permitted, to be screened from public view.
Goal 3-1: Strengthen and diversify the economic base and employment opportunities and maintain a positive business climate.
Policy 3-1.2: Encourage a variety of businesses to locate in Rialto, including retail, high technology, professional services, clean industries, logistics-based businesses, and restaurants/entertainment uses to promote the development of a diversified local economy.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
California Environmental Quality Act
On November 8, 2023, the Planning Commission adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration for a project known as the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project. The Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project consisted of a proposal to develop a 119,908 square foot industrial warehouse building on the project site. The project never began construction and the entitlements expired in 2025. The Mitigated Negative Declaration and its accompanying Initial Study determined that the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project would not result in any unavoidable significant impact and that any impacts from the project would be less than significant with or without mitigation.
For this project, the applicant engaged Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to prepare an Addendum to the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project (MND Addendum), in accordance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and the rules, regulations, and procedures for implementing CEQA as set forth by the City of Rialto. Section 15164(b) of the State CEQA Guidelines states that “an addendum to an adopted [mitigated] negative declaration may be prepared if only minor technical changes or additions are necessary or none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for the preparation of a subsequent…[mitigated] negative declaration have occurred.”
The purpose of the MND Addendum is to analyze any potential differences between the impacts identified in the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project and those that would be associated with the proposed Project. Pursuant to provisions of CEQA and State CEQA Guidelines, the City is the Lead Agency charged with the responsibility of deciding whether to approve development on the Project site. As detailed in the MND Addendum, the proposed Project would result in no new significant impacts that were not analyzed in the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project, nor would the proposed Project cause a substantial increase in the severity of any previously identified environmental impacts. The potential impacts associated with proposed Project would either be the same or less than those described in the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project. In addition, there are no substantial changes to the circumstances under which the proposed Project would be undertaken that would result in new or more severe environmental impacts than previously addressed in the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project, nor has any new information regarding the potential for new or more severe significant environmental impacts been identified. The MND Addendum is attached to the agenda report as Exhibit G.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City published a public hearing notice for the proposed project in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper, posted copies of the public hearing notice outside the Council Chambers and the project site, and mailed public hearing notices to all property owners within 660 feet of the project site.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Division recommends that the Planning Commission:
Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit H) to approve the Addendum to the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Jurupa and Willow Industrial Project (Environmental Assessment Review No. 26-0011) for the proposed project, and authorize staff to file a Notice of Determination with the Clerk of the Board of San Bernardino County; and
Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit I) to approve Variance No. 26-0003, based upon the findings and subject to the conditions therein; and
Adopt Resolution (Exhibit J) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 26-0006, based upon the findings and subject to the conditions therein; and
Adopt Resolution (Exhibit K) to approve Precise Plan of Design No. 26-0007, based upon the findings and subject to the conditions therein.