ORDINANCE NO. 7775
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AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, TO EXTEND URGENCY ORDINANCE NO.
7769, ESTABLISHING A MORATORIUM ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OR
EXPANSION OF WOODEN PALLET STORAGE YARDS WITHIN CITY
LIMITS.
WHEREAS, on May 19, 2026, the City Council for the City of Riverside adoptedan urgency ordinance, Ordinance No. 7769, establishing a moratorium on the establishment or expansion of wooden pallet storageyards with the City of Riverside (" City") pursuant to California Government Code section 65858; and
WHEREAS, since the adoption of the moratorium, staff has continued to meet internally to study the adoption of zoning andregulatory standardsto protect the public health, safety, andwelfare; and
WHEREAS, staff supportsthe decision to extendthe moratorium to allow staff to prepareany necessarylocal regulations or code revisions for City Council consideration, and to allow any such local regulations or code revisions to be adopted and otherwise made effective; and WHEREAS, additional time is neededin order to thoroughly develop appropriateregulations asdictatedby the City Council; and
WHEREAS, this Ordinance shall extendthe existing moratorium for aperiod of no more than 10 months and 15 days, with an expiration dateof May 18, 2027; and WHEREAS, if necessary, this moratorium may be again extendedasprovided by law; and WHEREAS, this Ordinance extension of the moratorium is necessarybasedon the following findings:
Fire Risk: Wooden pallet storageyards present an obvious fire hazard due to the storage of large quantities of wood, a combustible material, at a single site. Within the past few years there have been multiple fires associatedwith pallet yards in nearby cities that have causedmillions of dollars in losses.
Stacking Hazards: Wooden pallet storageyards often store wooden pallets in high stacks.
Without adequate regulation of the location, height and volume of these stacks, or the separation between thesestacks, the health, safety, and welfare of the public may be endangered. The improper
CITY ATTORNEY' S OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
RIVERSIDE, CA 92522
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or unsafe stacking of wooden pallets may be a falling risk, endangeringemployees, and visitors to thesesites, ormaybecomeafire hazard, endangeringthepublic andneighboringproperties; and WHEREAS, in orderto addressconcernsregarding the establishmentor expansionof wooden palletstorageyards, theCity intendsto studytheissuesassociatedwith woodenpalletyardsincluding newdevelopmentstandardsthatmaybeimposedon their operationto mitigateanypotentialimpacts.
This could includeevaluatingall land usedistrictsin which woodenpallet yardsarepermittedfor suitability and evaluatingdevelopmentstandardsand best practicesfrom other jurisdictions to determine if they would be appropriate City wide; and
WHEREAS, the City has a compellinginterestin protecting the public health, safety, and welfare of its residentsand businesses, and preservingthe peaceandintegrity of neighborhoods within the City; and
WHEREAS, it is necessaryto protect the health, safetyandwelfare, specifically the City andthepublic's interestsin theCity' s aesthetic, economic, health, safetyand communitycharacter, until additional staff review has been completed and any necessarylocal regulations or code revisions have been revised, adopted and otherwise made effective; and WHEREAS, CaliforniaGovernmentCodesection65858authorizestheCity Councilto, after noticeandpublic hearing, extendtheinterim ordinancefor 10monthsand15daysandsubsequently extendtheinterim ordinancefor oneyearby a four -fifths votefor adoption; and WHEREAS, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing on June 16, 2026, and consideredall oral andwritten evidencepresentedregarding the extension of the interim ordinance.
The City Council of the City of Riverside doesordain as follows:
Section 1. Incorporation of Recitals.
Theaboverecitalsareherebydeclaredto betrue andcorrectandrepresentfindingsof theCity Council, madein theexerciseof its independentjudgment, andareherebyincorporatedby reference andmade a part of this ordinance.
Section 2. Purpose.
The purposeof this ordinanceis to continue a moratorium establishedby OrdinanceNo. 7769,
CITY ATTORNEY' S OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
RIVERSIDE, CA 92522
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28 adoptedon May 19, 2026, on theestablishmentor expansionof woodenpallet storageyardswith the City for theimmediatepreservationof thepublic health, safetyandwelfare.
Section 3. Authority.
In accordancewith GovernmentCodesection65858etseq., toprotectthepublic safety, health, andwelfare, theCity Councilherebyadopts, asanurgencymeasure, thisinterimordinanceprohibiting the establishmentor expansionof woodenpallet storageyardswithin the City, becausethey maybe in conflict with a contemplatedgeneralplan, specificplan, or zoningproposalthat the City through eithertheCity Council, PlanningCommission, or theplanningdepartmentis consideringor studying or intends to study within a reasonabletime.
Section 4. Findings.
The City Council herebyfinds woodenpallet storageyardsposea currentandimmediate threatto thepublic health, safetyandwelfareonthe citizensof the City andareausewhich maybe in conflict with a contemplatedgeneralplan, specificplan, or zoningproposalthatthe City Council, PlanningCommissionorthePlanningDivision is consideringor studyingor intendsto studywithin a reasonable time. The City Council further herebyfinds that the approval of land use permits, building permits, business licenses, or any other applicable approval or decision for the establishmentor expansionof woodenpallet storageyardswould result in that threat to public health, safety, or welfare. These findings arebased upon all of the facts recited in this ordinance, in the staff report accompanyingthis ordinance, all mattersandinformationpresentedto this City Council at its meetingon May 19, 2026. The City CouncilherebydirectsthePlanningDivision and theCity' sFireDepartmentto work togetherto considerandstudyimpactsandadoptionof zoningand regulatory standardsto protect the public health, safety, and welfare and to create new or revised regulations and/ or ordinances that address such impacts.
Section 5. Moratorium Imposed.
The moratoriumon the City's establishmentor expansionof woodenpallet storageyards within the City is hereby extended until May 18, 2027. All terms and findings from Ordinance No. 7769 areherebyincorporated into this Ordinanceandmadeapart of this Ordinance.
CITY ATTORNEY' S OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
RIVERSIDE, CA 92522
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Section 6. Effective Date and Duration.
This ordinanceshall become effective immediately upon adoption if adoptedby at least four - fifths vote of the City Council, and shall extendthe interim ordinance for 10months and 15 daysuntil May 18, 2027,unless extendedby the City Council in accordancewith the provisions of Government Code section 65858.
Section 7. Severability.
If any provision of this ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstanceis held to be unconstitutionalor otherwiseinvalid by a courtof competentjurisdiction, suchinvalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this ordinancewhich canbe implemented without the invalid provision or application andto this end the provisions of this ordinance are declaredto be severable.
Section 8. California Environmental Quality Act.
The City hereby finds that this ordinance is not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act ( CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15060, subdivision (c)(2) the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15061, subdivision ( b)( 3) ( there is no possibility the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment). In addition to the foregoing general exemptions, the City Council further finds that this ordinance is categorically exempt from review under CEQA under the Class 8 Categorical Exemption ( regulatory activity to assurethe protection of the environment), CEQA Guidelines section 15308.
Section 9: The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this ordinance and cause publication oncein anewspaperof general circulation in accordancewith Section 414 of the Charter of the City of Riverside.
CITY ATTORNEY' S OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
RIVERSIDE, CA 92522
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28 Attest:
ADOPTED by the City Council this 16th day of June, 2026.
PATRICIA LOCK DAWSON
Mayor of the City of Riverside
DONESIA GAUSE
City Clerk of the City of Riverside
I, DonesiaGause, City Clerk of the City of Riverside, California, hereby certify that the foregoingordinancewasduly andregularlyintroducedandadoptedat ameetingof theCity Council onthe16thdayof June, 2026, bythefollowingvote, towit:
Ayes: Falcone, Cervantes, Robillard, Conder, Mill, Peny, andHemenway Noes:
Absent:
Abstain:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Riverside, California, this 22nd day of June, 2026. 314344 TAT 06/ 01/ 26
DONESIAI GAUSE
City Clerk of the City of Riverside
CITY ATTORNEY' S OFFICE
3900 MAIN STREET
RIVERSIDE, CA 92522
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