[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6631055,"mediaKeyId","2682387-3a6f34cbe72b616c5a82a66eddad56fd","parentId",2682387,"title","Planning commission upholds director on Engle truck yard; rejects rezoning request to heavy manufacturing","audioSeconds",9069,"startMs",4205000,"endMs",13274000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2682387-3a6f34cbe72b616c5a82a66eddad56fd&start=4205&end=13274","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2682387-3a6f34cbe72b616c5a82a66eddad56fd/thumbnail_4205000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6631055/South-Gate/Los-Angeles-County/California/Planning-commission-upholds-director-on-Engle-truck-yard-rejects-rezoning-request-to-heavy-manufacturing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6631055-3a89226e7ffb1d8e9464c9e31f9de465/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147812&Signature=IuriMg8SA19LFn5IoyIr~3MtLdbP60tPDpAblTjRl-PS5u7I~ch-TI36Xc7At9oQNRchQELbPeAxJE1OV3ch-C54V72ocd9WaPKKZOHi-K8ux9vG0k6-9GK9S1EnsJezmwJ7FfJMJVlg6puOF0lfB1t2AD19ZRKCQv2ht42LN-9FIkgqAWJF321GgZvjrTNXlq1O5tE63cf-0F9W5IQgAg~AaSuK1ykrIdGJIkr6eSh2-7RrwwZv96Bo~U1qXEhUgNuA04qAUcEXuLgSmzyOIIgRXGZzzko84p4D5D-epPI3iG8sfLv9UpT7gjAt~oL88EOZTGoOzpFmf7BuMDZYPg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Gate, CA","date","2025-03-19T05:54:27.787Z","article","The South Gate Planning Commission on a 3‑0 vote upheld the Community Development Director’s determination that the historic metal processing and recycling use at 8530 Alameda Street ceased in 2020 and therefore that legal nonconforming rights tied to that operation have ended. The commission also unanimously recommended denial of the owner’s separate request to change the parcel’s zoning from Industrial Flex (IF) to Heavy Manufacturing (M‑3) and to remove the site from the South Gate College District in the general plan.

The director’s determination (issued earlier in 2025) concluded that metal processing and recycling operations ceased in March 2020, the structures used for recycling were demolished, and that a subsequent use—truck and trailer storage by a different operator—does not qualify as a legal nonconforming use independent of the prior recycling activity. The determination further advised that truck‑and‑container storage operating as a principal use unconnected to recycling must be terminated because it did not have a prior legal nonconforming status under the municipal code.

At tonight’s hearing staff summarized property history: the site was developed and used for metal recycling beginning circa 1973, the city’s zoning changed in 2015 to Industrial Flex (IF) with new designations in the general plan, and Fleet Yards Inc. began using the site for truck trailer storage in 2020 under a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) that later expired. Staff told commissioners the TUP had exceeded durations allowed by the municipal code and that no renewal was in effect; staff said subsequent review of permits, business licenses and demolition activity supported the director’s finding that the recycling use was abandoned and that the current truck‑storage activity lacks an established legal nonconforming right.

Property owner counsel and the owner urged the commission to accept decades‑long on‑site truck and container storage as an integral, continuing part of the historic use. Counsel presented a series of records, invoices and photographs the owner said demonstrate continuous truck/trailer and container storage since the 1970s and argued the city previously issued business licenses and treated parts of the site as an ongoing use. The owner asked for time and a development agreement approach to phase the site’s transition and proposed a limited rezoning combined with a conditional use permit to allow operations while mitigation and a staged transition are worked out.

Dozens of residents, school students and community groups opposed the rezoning request and urged the commission to uphold the director. Speakers described traffic, noise, dust and health concerns and cited testing and regulatory activity in the area. Representatives from Communities for a Better Environment, Stella for a Better Tomorrow and local students urged denial of the zoning change and called for thorough environmental review because of suspected past contamination, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and lead/arsenic detections in nearby houses cited in public comment. Several residents said the property has operated without a valid permit or business license since the temporary permit lapsed and argued the city should enforce existing code.

Staff responded that the abandonment analysis rests on multiple factors in South Gate Municipal Code §11.55.04 (abandonment of industrial uses), including whether the nonconforming structure or use has been discontinued for at least two consecutive years, whether related permits and business licenses are active, whether equipment and property remain on site, and on owner intent. Staff said the recycling building was demolished in 2020, permits for recycling activity ceased, and the evidence supported a finding of abandonment for the metal processing/recycling use. Staff also explained that if the commission were to recommend a zone change, the council would need to consider CEQA and the city would face “no net loss” housing obligations because Industrial Flex allows certain future housing‑compatible uses that Heavy Manufacturing would disallow.

After hearing public comment, the commission deliberated. One commissioner noted the property’s remediation history and the need for ongoing coordination with state and county agencies (including DTSC and LA County Fire) for any future plans. Commissioners emphasized that the director’s determination applies to the legal nonconforming status of a former recycling use and that enforcement of any unpermitted current uses falls to code enforcement if the director’s decision is upheld.

The commission voted to uphold the director’s determination that the metal processing/recycling legal nonconforming use was abandoned and therefore cannot be resumed. The commission then voted to recommend no change be made to the property’s zoning (no change from IF to M‑3) and no change to the general plan designation removing the property from the South Gate College District. Staff noted that denial of the requested zone change means the owner may pursue administrative or conditional‑use pathways consistent with the current zoning, but any new or expanded industrial operations would require permitting and environmental review as applicable.

The record from the hearing includes substantial public comment urging additional environmental testing, code enforcement actions for unpermitted operations and continued coordination with county and state remediation agencies. The commission’s actions uphold the director’s legal analysis and preserve the city’s current land‑use framework pending any future applications or appeals to city council.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","South Gate Planning Commission Meeting 3/18/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Planning Commission upheld the Community Development Director’s decision that metal processing and recycling at 8530 Alameda Street ceased in 2020 and that subsequent truck‑and‑container storage does not hold a separate legal nonconforming right, and the commission also recommended denying the owner’s proposed rezoning to Heavy Manufacturing (M‑3).","taxTitle","South Gate, Los Angeles County, California","taxId",5784,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6631061,"South Gate planning commission approves 54-unit vesting tentative tract map for 10130 Adela Avenue",3848,321000,4169000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2682387-3a6f34cbe72b616c5a82a66eddad56fd&start=321&end=4169","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2682387-3a6f34cbe72b616c5a82a66eddad56fd/thumbnail_321000.jpg","/articles/6631061/South-Gate/Los-Angeles-County/California/South-Gate-planning-commission-approves-54-unit-vesting-tentative-tract-map-for-10130-Adela-Avenue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6631061-0962a4baa5698bcf70c34af1d349005d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147812&Signature=IZ4U5Koph~496FNFZf1lp4eWiLfDiHlOl5NmyrzBP~6dIQV0I5fHP5zvi1oSmKv79-sfJunzLb~pHhXwwgmx2GSaGdsu4Y4A9paz-E5ZIoVkdhpba0tpS4yNsbaU-L9gQftOMC8ZWTPLDHYkdnzOAGM5Gx3oSj6UJS02pg1IA6yttmLfWs0x6HcgoVoQgRqfCHIkUQCGVjID97cpfm8hJOeG5xZSLqEelsqt258jBi7ta5ZYo~c96D0ir282Cj78PjmhLqOxq62V~hCOaxAqJdh-piWovuwrpyvXJDxO~5vQudWcYwzK1x-JyPFqH6ftjnpkJui1S4122ToCt8bzRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of South Gate Planning Commission voted to approve a vesting tentative tract map (No. 84531) for a 2.02-acre property at 10130 Adela Avenue, authorizing subdivision of the parcel into 54 condominium lots on a 3‑story, six‑building townhome project.

The action on the tract map was a majority vote after a staff-recommended modification to the draft conditions: the last sentence of Condition 37 was revised to read, “No permit will be issued prior to final submittal and subject to the limitations of the Subdivision Map Act.” Staff said it did not object to that language change; the commission approved the map with that amendment.

City staff and the applicant framed tonight’s action as a map approval only. Rodrigo Pelayo, senior planner, told commissioners the commission’s responsibility was the vesting tentative tract map; administrative staff will conduct plan and design review for the project. Pelayo said the site lies within the Tweedy Boulevard Specific Plan’s Industrial Flex zone and that a final map would return to city council for recordation and final approval.

The applicant, Nick Patterson of City Ventures, presented the project and the development team. Patterson said City Ventures proposes 54 for‑sale condominium units organized as six buildings with nine units per building; the development would provide six units reserved at a moderate‑income level under state density bonus rules. Patterson also said the project is designed as 100 percent electric with solar power on homes and that vapor barriers will be installed under buildings because the site previously underwent soil remediation and underground storage tank removal overseen by LA County Fire and the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

The project plan submitted to staff shows a 25.5 homes‑per‑acre density; each unit would include a two‑car tandem garage. Rodrigo Pelayo and staff confirmed the project proposes no dedicated guest parking and that, under state density bonus provisions, the developer is entitled to reduced local parking requirements compared with the city’s typical standards. Staff also said the project was evaluated under CEQA and found categorically exempt as an infill project under CEQA Class 32.

Public commenters raised traffic, parking and soil‑vapor concerns. Several neighbors asked that the k‑rail barrier at the southwest corner of the site (where Legacy Lane transitions to Adela Avenue) remain or be managed so neighborhood circulation and school traffic are not worsened. Residents said morning congestion on nearby Wright Road can already delay exit times and feared the development would increase cut‑through traffic. The city clarified that draft Condition 60 calls for replacement of the existing k‑rail with an automated gate that can be opened for emergency access and for non‑restricted access only at times the city determines; public works staff said protections for neighborhood circulation and school operations are part of that proposal.

Residents and environmental advocates asked for details about soil vapor monitoring and long‑term oversight. City staff and the applicant said LA County Fire must sign off on vapor intrusion mitigation and testing before building permits are issued. The developer told the commission vapor barriers will be installed beneath all buildings and additional testing will be performed after grading.

Commission discussion touched on community outreach and the affordable units: staff said notices were mailed to both owners and occupants within a larger-than‑required radius (the city generally notifies up to 1,000 feet though state law requires 300 feet). Staff and the applicant also said the six moderate‑income units would be sold at moderate‑income prices set according to area median income rules and would be subject to affordability covenants for a defined period.

After questions, a motion to approve the vesting tentative tract map No. 84531 with the revised language for Condition 37 carried. Commissioners recorded votes on the motion and the commission directed staff to proceed with the administrative plan and design review and to return a final map to the city council for recordation and final approval.

The commission record shows project review will continue at the administrative level for architecture and construction permits; the tract map approval does not authorize building permits or construction until subsequent reviews and required agency signoffs (including LA County Fire regarding vapor mitigation) are complete.","The City of South Gate Planning Commission voted to approve a vesting tentative tract map (No. 84531) for a 2.02-acre property at 10130 Adela Avenue, authorizing subdivision of the parcel into 54 condominium lots on a 3‑story, six‑building townhome project.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning commission upholds director on Engle truck yard; rejects rezoning request to heavy manufacturing

South Gate planning commission approves 54-unit vesting tentative tract map for 10130 Adela Avenue