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Council reverses approval of the Pacific Oaks warehouse project in Live Oak Canyon and cancels a June referendum election.
Trustees to consider a new mental health policy and approve negotiations with staff regarding displaying personal items.
Council reverses approval of the Pacific Oaks warehouse project in Live Oak Canyon and cancels a June referendum election.
YUCAIPA, Calif. — The Yucaipa City Council voted unanimously Monday night to rescind approval of a controversial freeway corridor development plan tied to a proposed warehouse complex and cancel a June 2 referendum election.
The 5-0 vote reverses actions the council took in 2025 to approve the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan update and related zoning changes connected to the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center project, a logistics development that would have allowed a 2-million-square-foot warehouse in Live Oak Canyon along Interstate 10.
By repealing those actions, the council also made moot referendum petitions filed by residents seeking to overturn the plan at the ballot box.
City Attorney Steven Graham told the council the vote represented the final opportunity to repeal the approvals before the election process moved forward.
"Today is essentially the last possible day for the city council, if it chooses to, to rescind those legislative actions," Graham said.
The ballot initiatives would have cost city taxpayers about $200,000.
The council approved the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan update in August 2025, followed by zoning changes the next month. The actions revised development rules for land along the Interstate 10 corridor and cleared the way for the Pacific Oaks Commerce Center project.
In response, residents circulated referendum petitions that gathered more than 5,000 signatures forcing the council to either repeal the approvals or send the issue to voters.
In October 2025, the council chose to place the issue on the June 2026 ballot. Monday’s vote reverses that decision.
Under the actions approved Monday, the council rescinded two prior resolutions calling the election, repealed the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan update and associated project entitlements, and adopted an urgency ordinance reversing the zoning amendment.
Public speakers urged the council to rescind the approvals, citing concerns about warehouse development, traffic congestion and the city’s identity.
One long-time Yucaipa resident said the proposed project would fundamentally change the city’s character.
"Yucaipa has always been different from the rest of the Inland Empire," Ramirez said. "We are not an industrial corridor and we have never tried to be."
Other speakers described concerns about truck traffic, pollution and safety near the Live Oak Canyon and County Line Road areas where the development had been proposed.
Resident Kathy Sellers, who is with Yucaipa NOW, called on the city to rebuild trust with residents and create a more collaborative planning process.
Councilwoman Dawn Woolsey said she had spent extensive time reviewing meetings and public comments on the issue but said opponents have not offered clear alternatives for economic growth.
"I have heard you and I am listening," Woolsey said. "But the thing I haven’t heard are solutions."
Deputy Mayor Justin Beaver also called for a new planning process that includes greater community participation.
"Let's not waste any more time," Beaver said. "Let's empower the community, give them the tools and authorities to produce a plan that is actionable, and then bring it back to us for approval or discussion."
Miller acknowledged the city still faces financial pressures, including funding public safety services, and said development proposals have been seen as one potential revenue source.
"The freeway corridor plan was a pathway, perhaps not the best pathway, but a pathway toward revenue," he said.
Council members said the next step will be to begin forming a community advisory process to help guide future planning for the freeway corridor.
The proposed group could include representatives from each council district, property owners, utilities and council members.
The council then voted unanimously to adopt the measures rescinding the earlier approvals, ending the immediate referendum process but leaving broader questions about the corridor’s future unresolved.
The debate mirrors similar discussions in neighboring Redlands. There, the Redlands City Council voted 5-0 in November 2025 to direct staff to draft an ordinance banning new warehouse development citywide and limiting how existing warehouses may be rebuilt.
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