STATE OF CALIFORNIA GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
320 WEST 4TH STREET, SUITE 500, LOS ANGELES, CA 90013
April 27, 2026 ENVR 20260400014
Judy Eguez
Senior Planner
City of Riverside
3900 Main Street, 3rd Floor
Riverside, CA 92502
Re: Iron Lofts Mixed -Use Residential Development SCH 2026040916 – Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND)
Dear Judy Eguez,
The California Public Utilities Commission (Commission/CPUC) has jurisdiction over rail crossings (crossings) in California. The CPUC ensures that crossings are safely designed, constructed, and maintained. The Commission’s Rail Crossings Engineering Branch (RCEB) is in receipt of the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Iron Lofts Mixed -Use Residential Development Project (Project). The City of Riverside (City) is the lead agency.
The project site is located at 3596 Commerce Street and consists of 12 parcels, located on the east side of Commerce Street between Mission Inn Avenue and 5th Street. This site will include a mixed-use development consisting of 291 residential dwelling units and 9 live/work units.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway San Bernardino subdivision parallels the west side of Commerce Street. The project site can be accessed from the south which crosses an at-grade highway-rail crossing along the BNSF San Bernardino subdivision; Mission Inn Avenue (DOT# 026485X, CPUC# 002B-9.75). The Mission Inn Avenue St at-grade highway-rail crossing consists of a 4-lane paved asphalt roadway with active railroad warning devices. The project site can also be accessed from the north which crosses an at-grade highway-rail crossing along the BNSF San Bernardino subdivision; 3rd Street (DOT# 026480N, CPUC# 002B-9.50). The 3rd Street at-grade highway-rail crossing consists of a 3-lane paved asphalt roadway with active railroad warning devices and is currently planned to be grade separated. The project site is also within walking distance to many attractions, such as restaurants, bars, museums, downtown, etc.; all of which are on the west side of the BNSF tracks.
The Metrolink Downtown Station is also south of the project site within walking distance.
Given the addition of 300 new residential dwelling units, pedestrian and vehicular activity in the vicinity of these two crossings can be expected to increase. RCEB recommends that the Project review the area and provide any mitigations measures for the increase in vehicular and pedestrian activity, particularly the Mission Ave crossing due to it being a direct access route from the project site to the SR-91 freeway and to downtown Riverside. Mitigation measures can include, but are not limited to, signalization of the intersection of Mission Inn Ave and Commerce St with railroad preemption, installation of automatic pedestrian gates and channelization, and installation of lighting at all quadrants of the crossing where not present. These measures can be accomplished through a capital project funded by the City or a condition of approval for the development and should also bring the crossings up to current standards and in compliance with ADA requirements.
PR-2023-001469 (GPA, SPA, RZ, TM, PPE) Exhibit 13 - Comment Letter Judy Eguez
ENVR 20260400014
April 27, 2026
Any proposed crossing modifications will require authorization from the CPUC through a General Order 88-B request and must also conform to the goals of the CPUC’s Environmental and Social Justice Action Plan. This includes improving safety and access to transportation, improving local air quality and public health, and expanding outreach and public participation opportunities in disadvantaged communities. For more information, please visit https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/esjactionplan.
RCEB staff is available to discuss any potential safety impacts or concerns at the crossings and address any questions from the City.
If you have any questions, please contact Sergio Licon at (213) 503-4866, or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Anh Truong, PE
Senior Utilities Engineer (Supervisor)
Rail Crossings Engineering Branch
Rail Safety Division
cc: State Clearinghouse, [email protected] Farshid Mohammadi, City of Riverside, [email protected] Dionisio Martinez, BNSF, [email protected]
Christine Saunders, Christine Saunders & Associates LLC, [email protected] Darrin Olson, Iron Lofts, LLC, [email protected]
Erik Galloway, RCTC, [email protected]
PR-2023-001469 (GPA, SPA, RZ, TM, PPE) Exhibit 13 - Comment Letter