City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: November 21, 2023
From: Daniel S. Wall, P.E., Director of Public Works
Department: Public Works
Submitted by: Daniel S. Wall, P.E., Director of Public Works Subject
Regulation of fueling stations in the Truck and Freight Terminal (T) Overlay Zone Recommendation
A. Find that the proposed action is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review because it is a general policy and procedure-making activity that is unrelated to any specific project, which must undergo separate CEQA review, and that will not result in direct physical changes or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical changes in the environment, and therefore does not constitute a “project” as defined by CEQA Guidelines Section 15378; B. Introduce and conduct first reading of Ordinance No. 1295 amending Vernon Municipal Code Section 17.16.020 and adding Sections 17.48.035 and 17.48.040.D regarding fueling stations in the Truck and Freight Terminal (T) Overlay Zone; and
C. Direct staff to schedule second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 1295 for the December 5, 2023 City Council meeting.
Background
To provide consistency in the regulation of fueling stations in the Truck and Freight Terminal (T) overlay zone with the regulation of fueling stations in the Commerical-1 (C-1) and Commercial-2 (C-2) overlay zones, it is recommended that Chapter 17.48 of the Vernon Municipal Code (VMC) be amended. The proposed amendment would require a department approved Minor Conditional Use Permit for the development of fueling stations within the T overlay zone, similar to the requirement in the C-1 and C-2 overlay zones, instead of the currently required City Council approved Conditional Use Permit.
The change from requiring a City Council approved Conditional Use Permit to a department approved Minor Conditional Use Permit would streamline the entitlement process for fueling stations, including alternative fueling stations such as hydrogen fueling stations and heavy vehicle rapid charge electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the T overlay zone by approximately three to six months while continuing to ensure that the fueling station would not create disproportionate impacts or burdens on surrounding properties.
It is also recommended that Section 17.16.020 be amended to explicitly exclude EV charging from the definition of fueling station. This is, in recognition of both the limited number of EVs that can be recharged per day compared to refueled per day at similar locations and that EV recharging can be accommodated in parking lots.
Pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code Section 17.08.030, the notice of public hearing was posted at City Hall on November 2, 2023 and published in the Los Angeles Wave (Huntington Park Bulletin) on November 9, 2023 (Attachment 2).
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
Attachments
1. Ordinance No. 1295
2. Notice of Public Hearing