The proposed warehousing and trucking center in Cypress along Katella Avenue continued to bring about opposition and the Los Alamitos City Council held a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue in closed session.
The proposed warehousing and trucking center in Cypress along Katella Avenue continued to bring about opposition and the Los Alamitos City Council held a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue in closed session.
After the meeting the council voted unanimously to oppose the project and instructed city staff to begin taking action to officially oppose the project and take legal action, if necessary. After the vote, Los Alamitos Mayor Warren Kusumoto noted that there were many reasons to oppose the project.
“I think it’s just the overall impact on the community and the surrounding community,” Kusumoto said.
The company that is proposing the project, ProLogis, will host a second open house meeting to allow the public to get a better idea of what the project will entail. The meeting will be on Wednesday, April 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the former Cypress Golf Course Clubhouse at 4921 Katella Ave. next to the Los Alamitos Racecourse.
The special city council meeting was attended by residents who spoke out against the project. While the project is in Cypress, it would most likely have to use Katella as a main entry and exit points and residents are concerned about traffic, added smog and safety on the already busy street.
The project has also begun to bring about some resistance from Cypress residents who showed up at a recent Cypress City Council meeting to voice their concerns. Los Alamitos was also represented.
Los Alamitos resident Lois Waddle spoke on behalf of the protest, saying that no one in Cypress knows about the project.
“I brought a site map for the council members and encourage you to look at the truck bays that are proposed,” she said. “In building three there are 64 truck bays, building one has 32, and building two has 28, making a total of 125 truck bays.”
But ProLogis officials have said that some of the information being circulated is inaccurate. Pro Logis investment officer Nancy Schultz said the differences between a trucking terminal and a logistics facility planned for the area is significant.
“We are going to be consistent with what is already in the neighborhood,” she said. “There is information in the community that says we are building a truck depot. A depot usually has only a little office space and lots of extra land to park for staging.”
The Environmental Impact report is expected to take several months and officials have said that the public will have future opportunities to review the report and offer input. Los Alamitos City Councilwoman Gerri Graham-Mejia has stated that indications have been made to her that the company is looking to begin construction by the end of the year.
Event News Editor Chris Frost contributed to this report.