I am a longtime Orange resident and would like to vehemently voice my opposition to Rexford Industrial’s proposed warehouse at 2411 N. Glassell St.
It is imperative that this committee listen to our – the residents of Orange, the neighbors directly affected – concerns and understand to why this project can have dire consequences for all involved.
There are a myriad of reasons as to why it should not move forward, ranging from noise and light pollution caused by a facility operating 24 hours a day to public perception of our city to the potential depreciation of home values in the surrounding neighborhoods.
But I want to briefly focus on the environmental review released on April 16 wherein consultants hired by the city concluded that the project would not have a significant environmental impact if some of the risks were “mitigated to be less significant.”
For one, the report indicates that the levels of diesel particle matter emitted from the facility, which can cause respiratory issues and increasecancer risks, was 9.48 per million. The threshold where this becomes a notable health issue is 10 per million, meaning that the margin for reaching this threshold is just 0.52 per million. That’s a razor thin margin, and it is completely unacceptable.
It would be like driving drunk, swerving all over the road, getting pulled over, and being let off with a warning because the breathalyzer results were a tenth of a point below the legal blood alcohol limit. Falling just below the threshold does not make it safe.
This margin becomes significant when an individual already suffers from other health conditions. Not to mention that the students of Fletcher Elementary School, who play and have lunch outside daily, are within eyesight of the proposed warehouse ten months out of the year.
For anyone to review this streamlined report, analyze the findings, and say “looks good to me” is insulting to me. To hypothesize that a proposed warehouse with 36 loading docksbuilt for heavy diesel trucks that can run 24 hours a day will not have a detrimental impact on the surrounding areas is fanciful.
I was at the open house a few months back where Rexford Industrial’s representatives were on hand to answer questions. I say “answer” loosely because they could not confirm how many of our concerns – from noise and light pollution to the impact on our home values to the impact on our ecosystem – would be mitigated. While most didn’t have any definitive answers, one rep did say that some of the scenarios presented were unlikely, like their diesel trucks running 24/7.
An unlikely scenario does not guarantee it will not happen. Assurances mean nothing when the foundation to break a promise is there.
As you are likely aware, the South Coast Air Quality Management District reviewed the environmental report and found a number of technical deficiencies in the preparer’s analysis. The air dispersion modeling utilized to gauge particle matter is one. Maybe we should give their findings more weight before depending on a report that clearly needs to be amended.
For the good of the residents of Orange and the city as a whole, I strongly encourage this committee to do everything in its power to stop Rexford Industrial’s project from moving forward.
Good evening planning committee,
I am a longtime Orange resident and would like to vehemently voice my opposition to Rexford Industrial’s proposed warehouse at 2411 N. Glassell St.
It is imperative that this committee listen to our – the residents of Orange, the neighbors directly affected – concerns and understand to why this project can have dire consequences for all involved.
There are a myriad of reasons as to why it should not move forward, ranging from noise and light pollution caused by a facility operating 24 hours a day to public perception of our city to the potential depreciation of home values in the surrounding neighborhoods.
But I want to briefly focus on the environmental review released on April 16 wherein consultants hired by the city concluded that the project would not have a significant environmental impact if some of the risks were “mitigated to be less significant.”
For one, the report indicates that the levels of diesel particle matter emitted from the facility, which can cause respiratory issues and increasecancer risks, was 9.48 per million. The threshold where this becomes a notable health issue is 10 per million, meaning that the margin for reaching this threshold is just 0.52 per million. That’s a razor thin margin, and it is completely unacceptable.
It would be like driving drunk, swerving all over the road, getting pulled over, and being let off with a warning because the breathalyzer results were a tenth of a point below the legal blood alcohol limit. Falling just below the threshold does not make it safe.
This margin becomes significant when an individual already suffers from other health conditions. Not to mention that the students of Fletcher Elementary School, who play and have lunch outside daily, are within eyesight of the proposed warehouse ten months out of the year.
For anyone to review this streamlined report, analyze the findings, and say “looks good to me” is insulting to me. To hypothesize that a proposed warehouse with 36 loading docksbuilt for heavy diesel trucks that can run 24 hours a day will not have a detrimental impact on the surrounding areas is fanciful.
I was at the open house a few months back where Rexford Industrial’s representatives were on hand to answer questions. I say “answer” loosely because they could not confirm how many of our concerns – from noise and light pollution to the impact on our home values to the impact on our ecosystem – would be mitigated. While most didn’t have any definitive answers, one rep did say that some of the scenarios presented were unlikely, like their diesel trucks running 24/7.
An unlikely scenario does not guarantee it will not happen. Assurances mean nothing when the foundation to break a promise is there.
As you are likely aware, the South Coast Air Quality Management District reviewed the environmental report and found a number of technical deficiencies in the preparer’s analysis. The air dispersion modeling utilized to gauge particle matter is one. Maybe we should give their findings more weight before depending on a report that clearly needs to be amended.
For the good of the residents of Orange and the city as a whole, I strongly encourage this committee to do everything in its power to stop Rexford Industrial’s project from moving forward.
Thank you.