Who Is Leading the YNOW Referendum to Stop Warehouse Sprawl?

YNOW is a resident-driven coalition fighting to preserve Yucaipa’s rural charm, clean air, and community well-being. In partnership with Inland Empire non-profits and conservation groups, we’re strategizing and fundraising to support our referendum against the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center, which will bring 2,000 daily diesel truck trips, and the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan, potentially allowing over 5,000 semi-trucks daily across multiple projects. Join us to halt mega-warehouses and protect Yucaipa’s future.

What is the freeway corridor specific plan update?

The Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP) is a city-adopted blueprint for developing a 1,242-acre area along Interstate 10 (I-10) in Yucaipa, first established in 2008 and updated in 2025. It designates land for a mix of uses, including residential, business park (supporting warehouses, logistics, and high-cube industrial facilities like the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center), regional commercial, and open space. YNOW opposes it due to its potential to enable sprawling mega-warehouses, generating thousands of daily semi-truck trips (e.g., 2,000 from Pacific Oaks alone, with the FCSP allowing for multiple similar projects totaling over 5,000 trucks), increased pollution, traffic congestion, and threats to Yucaipa’s rural character, air quality, and community health. Our referendum aims to halt this plan and protect our valley’s future.

What are the main environmental concerns related to warehouses?

The proposed mega-warehouses in Yucaipa, such as the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center, and the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP) pose severe environmental threats to our community. YNOW is fighting these developments through our referendum to protect Yucaipa’s air, wildlife, and rural character. Key concerns include:

• Air Quality Degradation: The Pacific Oaks project could generate 2,000 daily diesel truck trips, with the FCSP potentially enabling over 5,000 semi-truck trips daily across multiple projects. These trucks emit harmful pollutants like particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), worsening air quality and contributing to smog and respiratory issues.

• Increased Health Risks to Yucaipa Residents: The FCSP’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR) deems air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and noise impacts “significant and unavoidable.” Lower Yucaipa already faces disproportionate exposure to diesel particulate matter, scoring 82 on the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s (OEHHA) CalEnviroScreen, meaning residents endure more diesel pollution than 82% of California census tracts. Diesel particulate matter is the leading cause of inhalation cancer risk and significantly contributes to non-cancer risks like heart disease, per OEHHA. Warehouses will exacerbate these health threats.

• Increased Traffic and Congestion: Thousands of daily truck trips will clog Interstate 10 and local roads, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and straining Yucaipa’s infrastructure, disrupting the valley’s rural tranquility and safety.

• Habitat and Landscape Disruption: The FCSP’s 223 acres for business parks and industrial uses, including warehouses, threaten local wildlife habitats and scenic hillsides. Construction could fragment ecosystems and degrade the natural beauty central to Yucaipa’s identity, with 256 of 403 designated “open space” acres at risk of future redevelopment.

YNOW’s referendum to overturn Resolution 2024-54 aims to block these developments, prioritizing clean air, community health, and Yucaipa’s rural legacy for future generations.

Does a Referendum Stop Warehouses in Yucaipa?

A referendum does not directly stop warehouses but empowers Yucaipa’s citizens to decide the fate of legislative actions, like the City Council’s Resolution 2024-54, which supports projects such as the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center under the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP). By placing this resolution on the ballot, the referendum shifts decision-making from the City Council to the voters, allowing residents to reject future mega warehouse developments that could bring over 2,000 daily diesel truck trips from Pacific Oaks alone and potentially over 5,000 semi-trucks with additional FCSP projects. YNOW believes the City Council has prioritized mega-developers’ interests over constituents’ well-being, ignoring the environmental, health, and traffic impacts that threaten our rural valley. Our referendum is a critical step to halt these developments and restore community control.

Who Voted to Approve the FCSP Update on August 25, 2025?

On August 25, 2025, the Yucaipa City Council approved the updated Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP) in a 4-1 vote, paving the way for mega-warehouse developments like the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center. The council members who voted in favor were:

Mayor Jon Thorp
Councilmember Bob Miller
Councilmember Justin Beaver
Councilmember Judy Woolsey

How Do Warehouses Violate Yucaipa’s Culture and Community Goals?

The proposed mega-warehouses, like the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center, and the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP) conflict with Yucaipa’s vision as outlined in the city’s General Plan and 2015 Community Profile. These documents emphasize Yucaipa as the “Jewel of the Inland Empire,” defined by its rural character, clean air, and exceptional quality of life. YNOW’s referendum to overturn Resolution 2024-54 aims to protect these values from warehouse-driven threats. Key violations include:

• Threat to Small-Town Rural Character: The General Plan prioritizes Yucaipa’s small-town identity and strong neighborhoods. Warehouses, with Pacific Oaks’ 2,000 daily diesel truck trips and FCSP’s potential for 5,000+, increase traffic, noise, and pollution, eroding the rural tranquility residents cherish.

• Loss of Scenic Vistas and Natural Landscapes: The FCSP’s 223 acres for industrial use and reduction of open space from 549 to 403 acres (with 256 acres redevelopable) jeopardize scenic hillsides, ravines, and wild lands, undermining the natural beauty central to Yucaipa’s identity.

• Compromised Health, Safety, and Well-Being: The FCSP’s Environmental Impact Report notes “significant and unavoidable” air quality, greenhouse gas, and noise impacts. Lower Yucaipa’s CalEnviroScreen score of 82 shows residents already face disproportionate diesel particulate exposure, linked to cancer and heart disease, which warehouses will worsen.

• Misaligned Economic Priorities: The General Plan calls for quality businesses offering quality jobs and retail. Warehouses prioritize low-skill logistics jobs and generate Development Impact Fees for developers, not sustainable community benefits, while straining infrastructure like water and sewer systems.

YNOW believes the city’s approval of the FCSP, driven by developer influence, betrays its commitment to fiscally responsible governance and environmental balance, favoring short-term gains over Yucaipa’s cultural and community goals.

Why Are Warehouses a Poor Revenue Source for Yucaipa?

The Yucaipa City Council promotes mega-warehouses like the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center and the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP) as economic boosters, but YNOW argues they are fiscal and community burdens. Warehouses generate low property tax revenue, minimal sales tax, and high infrastructure costs, while offering mostly low-wage jobs that fail to offset their negative impacts. A successful referendum to overturn Resolution 2024-54 would prioritize sustainable land uses that better serve Yucaipa’s fiscal health and rural character. Key issues include:

• Low Property Tax Revenue: Warehouses, like Pacific Oaks’ two million-square-foot facilities, occupy vast land but are valued less per square foot than retail or residential developments. This yields far less property tax revenue compared to compact, high-value alternatives like manufacturing or mixed-use projects, limiting funds for city services.

• Minimal Sales Tax Contribution: Unlike retail businesses that generate significant sales tax, warehouses and distribution centers produce little to none, depriving Yucaipa of revenue needed for schools, parks, and public facilities, despite their massive footprint.

• High Infrastructure and Service Costs: The 2,000 daily diesel truck trips from Pacific Oaks, and potentially 5,000+ under the FCSP, strain city resources. Heavy trucks accelerate road wear, increasing maintenance costs, while heightened industrial activity demands more police and fire services, further draining budgets.

• Low-Wage Jobs: While touted for job creation, warehouse jobs often pay below a living wage, failing to provide economic stability for Yucaipa families and contributing less to the local economy than higher-quality retail or professional jobs.

YNOW’s referendum seeks to block these fiscally draining developments, protecting Yucaipa’s budget and community from the environmental and economic costs of warehouse sprawl.

What is the pacific oaks commerce center?

The Pacific Oaks Commerce Center is a proposed mega-warehouse development south of Interstate 10 in Yucaipa, included in the updated Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP). It features two massive warehouses, each exceeding one million square feet, with 356 truck docks and 1,058 truck parking stalls. This project is expected to generate over 2,000 daily diesel truck trips, significantly increasing traffic, air pollution, and noise at Yucaipa’s freeway interchanges. YNOW opposes this development due to its threat to our valley’s air quality, community health, and rural character, with the FCSP potentially enabling additional projects that could bring over 5,000 semi-trucks daily. Our referendum aims to empower voters to reject such developments and protect Yucaipa’s future.

Why Did the Yucaipa City Council Approve Warehouses?

The Yucaipa City Council’s 4-1 vote on August 25, 2025, to approve the updated Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP) and the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center was driven by several factors, despite community opposition. Supporters, including Mayor Jon Thorp and Councilmember Bob Miller, framed the 2 million-square-foot warehouse project as a “legacy” investment for economic growth, job creation, and increased city revenue. Key reasons include:

• Water Infrastructure Funding: The council sees warehouses as a way to fund critical infrastructure, including a $38 million water line project discussed on April 28, 2025, to boost capacity for west-side developments. The Yucaipa Valley Water District, independent of the council, faces challenges connecting new projects to water supplies, and warehouse developers’ DIF contributions help bridge these gaps, unlike housing which demands more water and utility upgrades

• Economic and Developer Influence: The council’s decision reflects pressure from mega-developers like Pacific Industrial Real Estate, LLC, who secured favorable zoning in exchange for infrastructure funding. This aligns with the city’s view that warehouses address economic needs driven by online shopping trends, despite community concerns about 2,000+ daily diesel truck trips from Pacific Oaks and potentially 5,000+ under the FCSP, which threaten air quality and rural character. YNOW believes the council prioritized short-term financial gains over residents’ health and is pushing a referendum to let voters decide

If the Referendum Is Successful, Where Will the Houses Go?

A successful YNOW referendum would overturn Resolution 2024-54 and the updated Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP), stopping mega-warehouse projects like the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center in the 1,242-acre FCSP area south of Interstate 10. This does not eliminate Yucaipa’s obligation to plan for 2,866 housing units by 2029 under the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), including 1,401 for low- and very low-income households. Claims that stopping warehouses prevents housing are a red herring, hiding the city’s failure to plan infrastructure proactively. The 2008 FCSP already included a housing element for up to 2,482 homes.

Is the Open Space in the New Freeway Corridor Specific Plan Beneficial?

The updated Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP), approved by the Yucaipa City Council on August 25, 2025, appears to preserve open space, but YNOW views this as misleading. While the plan designates 403 acres as open space, it significantly reduces the 549 acres protected in the 2008 FCSP and allows 256 of those acres to be redeveloped for future projects with a property owner’s petition and city approval. This makes the open space a placeholder for phased development, not a commitment to preservation. Key concerns include:

• Reduced Open Space: The new FCSP cuts open space by 146 acres compared to the 2008 plan, undermining claims of environmental protection and threatening Yucaipa’s scenic hillsides and rural character.

• Redevelopment Loophole: Allowing 256 acres (63% of designated open space) to be redeveloped with city approval prioritizes developer interests over permanent conservation, risking further warehouse or industrial projects like the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center, which is projected to generate over 2,000 daily diesel truck trips.

• Environmental Impact: Temporary open space does little to protect wildlife habitats or mitigate the air quality and health risks from potential 5,000+ semi-truck trips under the FCSP’s full buildout, contradicting the city’s narrative of balanced growth.

YNOW’s referendum to overturn Resolution 2024-54 seeks to protect Yucaipa’s true open spaces and rural identity by halting warehouse-driven plans that use “open space” as a pretext for future development, while supporting sustainable housing per the 2021-2029 Housing Element.

Why Is the City Using Scare Tactics to Push the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan?

YNOW believes the Yucaipa City Council is using scare tactics to justify the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP) update, approved 4-1 on August 25, 2025, by framing it as essential to meet state housing mandates and avoid penalties, while downplaying the environmental and community impacts of mega-warehouses like the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center. Key points include:

• Misrepresenting Housing Needs: The city claims the FCSP, which prioritizes 223 acres for warehouses over housing, is necessary to meet the 2021-2029 RHNA requirement of 2,866 housing units. This is a red herring, as the 2008 FCSP already allocated 424.7 acres for up to 2,447 homes. The council’s narrative exaggerates the risk of state penalties to justify warehouses, ignoring existing plans.

• Exaggerating Financial Risks: The council suggests rejecting the FCSP could lead to lost Development Impact Fees (DIF) needed for infrastructure, like the $38 million water line project south of I-10. Yet, the city’s failure to plan water and sewer infrastructure proactively before the next RHNA cycle (2029-2037) created this gap. Warehouses offer quick DIF revenue, but YNOW argues the City Council of Yucaipa are prioritizing developer profits over long-term community needs, masking the city’s planning shortcomings.

• Downplaying Environmental Impacts: By emphasizing economic benefits, the council minimizes the FCSP’s impact, including Pacific Oaks’ 2,000 daily diesel truck trips and potential for 5,000+ trips across future projects. This sidesteps threats to air quality, health, and rural character, using fear of state intervention to rush approval despite community opposition.

YNOW’s referendum aims to suspend Resolution 2024-54, empowering voters to reject these tactics and protect Yucaipa from warehouse sprawl while ensuring sustainable housing solutions.

What About the Neighboring Wildlife Corridors to the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan, and How Dangerous Is Semi-Truck Traffic to Them?

The Freeway Corridor Specific Plan (FCSP) area in Yucaipa, bisected by Interstate 10 (I-10), borders vital wildlife corridors mapped in the Yucaipa General Plan, connecting the San Bernardino National Forest and foothills to the north with habitats in the San Timoteo Canyon and Badlands to the east and south. These corridors support migration and gene flow for species like mule deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and smaller mammals, as well as birds and reptiles, allowing movement between the San Bernardino Mountains and lower valley ecosystems. The FCSP’s 549 acres of designated open space (reduced to 403 acres in the 2025 update, with 256 acres redevelopable) directly adjoins these corridors, making them vulnerable to adjacent development. YNOW’s referendum to overturn Resolution 2024-54 aims to protect these natural linkages from warehouse expansion. Key dangers from semi-truck traffic include:

• Habitat Fragmentation and Barriers: Even adjacent to corridors, increased semi-truck traffic from projects like the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center (2,000 daily trips, potentially 5,000+ under full FCSP buildout) intensifies I-10’s role as a barrier. Roads like I-10 disrupt wildlife movements by blocking access to food, mates, and breeding areas, isolating populations and reducing genetic diversity, which heightens extinction risks for species like mountain lions in the San Bernardino Mountains.

• Vehicle-Wildlife Collisions: Semi-trucks, with their size and speed, pose a lethal threat to animals crossing or near roadways. In California, highways cause thousands of wildlife deaths annually, including large mammals drawn to roadside vegetation; a single truck can kill multiple animals in a collision, as seen in incidents where herds are struck. Adjacent corridors amplify this risk, as animals may attempt risky crossings to reach fragmented habitats south of I-10.

• Noise, Pollution, and Behavioral Disruption: Truck traffic generates noise pollution that stresses wildlife, altering migration patterns and foraging behavior up to 1 km from the road. Diesel emissions from semi-trucks degrade air quality in corridors, harming sensitive species and vegetation, while light pollution from trucks at night disorients nocturnal animals, increasing collision likelihood even in adjacent areas.

YNOW opposes the FCSP for endangering these essential corridors, urging voters to support the referendum and preserve Yucaipa’s rural wildlife heritage.