Senior quarterback Isaac Vitela led Redlands East Valley High to a record-setting 69–28 win over rival Redlands in the annual Smudge Pot game Friday night, throwing for five touchdowns and rushing for two more as the Wildcats captured their 17th victory in the 29-year rivalry.
Stay informed before decisions are made — here’s what’s coming up at this week’s Planning Commission, school board, and city committee meetings.
Redlands Unified to vote on stadium upgrades, student travel plans and training contracts
Commissioners will continue discussions Tuesday on whether to prohibit new warehouse and logistics centers citywide while allowing existing facilities to remain in operation.
REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands Planning Commission will revisit a proposal Tuesday to prohibit new warehouse and logistics distribution centers within city limits, a move that could reshape the city’s industrial landscape amid growing regional concerns over truck traffic, air pollution and land use.
The discussion follows two earlier meetings this year in which commissioners debated whether to pursue a citywide ban on future large-scale warehouses or instead impose tighter zoning restrictions and buffer zones. In May, the commission voted 4-2 to direct staff to study options for amending the city’s zoning code to block new warehouse development while allowing existing facilities to continue operating.
City staff will present their findings Tuesday. The proposed amendment would modify Redlands Municipal Code Title 18 and Ordinance No. 2955, the city’s 2023 warehouse ordinance, which currently allows warehouse and logistics uses in certain industrial zones by conditional use permit.
According to the city’s staff report, Redlands is home to 25 warehouses exceeding 100,000 square feet, most concentrated in the northwest area near the Interstate 10 corridor. Another 31 large warehouses exist in the unincorporated “donut hole” area between Redlands and Loma Linda. Nearly all of the city’s large warehouses were built within the past two decades.
In addition to the warehouses in northwest Redlands, the city approved a 185,100-square-foot facility at 350 Iowa St. in 2023 and extended the project’s entitlements in March 2025. In June 2025, a 193,469-square-foot distribution warehouse on Tennessee Street was approved after a prior rejection and strong community opposition.
Several additional industrial parcels remain entitled or available for warehouse use. For example, 10855 New Jersey St. and 26791 Park Ave. were identified by planners as having potential for a 240,000-square-foot warehouse.
Rising availability rates show that warehouse demand has cooled after years of record construction following the COVID-19 pandemic-era boom, according to the Q3 2025 report from CBRE.
Similar to the Inland Empire overall, the availability rate in the Redlands–Loma Linda area sits around 11%, with roughly 3.5 million square feet available.
City staff noted that while the East Valley Corridor Specific Plan and several other specific plans permit warehouse uses, each large project requires discretionary approval by both the Planning Commission and City Council.
However, if a developer meets all standards for development, the commission and council are expected to approve the project—as was the case for the 193,469-square-foot distribution warehouse on Tennessee Street approved after significant public outcry.
“When a project does meet all applicable codes and findings for approval, it must be approved,” said John James, a former Redlands council member and former planning commissioner and chair, during the June 24 meeting.
If commissioners recommend a citywide prohibition, the city could remove “warehouse” and “logistics distribution” from the list of allowable uses across all zoning districts and specific plans. Existing facilities would remain legal, but no new ones could be approved.
In an April 2025 memorandum, the city’s special counsel cautioned that completely banning warehouses—including those already built—could expose the city to significant legal and financial liability. The firm recommended against forcing the closure or demolition of legally established warehouses, warning that doing so could lead to claims of regulatory “takings,” which require cities to compensate property owners for lost value.
Instead, attorneys suggested that the city either maintain its 2023 warehouse ordinance or pursue targeted zoning changes to further limit where warehouses can be built. The memo said Redlands could legally “grandfather” existing facilities or phase them out gradually through an amortization period, but that selective zoning tools such as overlay zones and stricter eligibility criteria would offer greater flexibility and stronger legal protection.
The agenda staff report also references two new state laws, Assembly Bills 98 and 735, which take effect in 2026 and establish statewide design standards for logistics developments larger than 250,000 square feet. The city’s 2023 ordinance already includes stricter requirements than the state minimums, such as requiring warehouses to be within one mile of a freeway ramp.
Redlands’ review comes as surrounding jurisdictions grapple with similar concerns. San Bernardino County is updating truck routes under Assembly Bill 98, which requires designated freight corridors near warehouse clusters to protect nearby homes and schools.
In neighboring Yucaipa, residents are advancing referendums aimed at overturning City Council approval of a 2-million-square-foot warehouse project in Live Oak Canyon.
Warehouse growth in the Inland Empire has drawn increasing scrutiny from air-quality regulators and community groups, who argue that industrial expansion has outpaced infrastructure and environmental safeguards.
Tuesday’s meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 14 at City Hall, 35 Cajon St. The commission is expected to provide direction to staff on whether to draft a formal ordinance for City Council consideration.
Public comments can be made in person, emailed to PlanningCommission@cityofredlands.org or submitted through this online form at https://www.cityofredlands.org/webform/planning-commission-comments-form
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