Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the search for new occupants. Industrial realtors do this for building owners.
The municipality can preempt properties, buy them and renovate them to make
them better suited for some types of businesses the municipality wishes to attract.
As in many other areas of California, a re-development agency existed in Vernon
but the State of California dissolved all municipal community redevelopment
agencies in early 2012. The city, however, never had major problems in finding
new occupants, thanks to its location. The size of land parcels, which is a problem
now for many new activities, particularly in the logistics sector, does not appear to
be one yet in Vernon. Several 20-acre parcels have recently been subdivided,
demonstrating that there is still a considerable need for small parcels. Neverthe-
less, some warehouses have reached 500,000 square feet.
As the city's objective is to be business friendly, its zoning code is not very strict.
There is no height limit, and some buildings can reach 60 feet. The California
Building Code has introduced strict regulations related to fire hazards but the city
does not have any additional rules. In some areas in Los Angeles, industrial
buildings are so large that tunnels have to be provided to give employees easy
access to an exit (in California, all employees must have an exit access less than 400
feet away). In Vernon, there is no such need. There are no requirements for land-
scaping, although the city is currently thinking about a general upgrading of its
urban environment, and landscaping will be emphasized in future developments.
Companies can still build surface parking, as the cost of land is not yet prohibitive.
The city is its own electricity provider. As such, it has to follow the State regulation
that 20 % of electricity must come from renewable sources. Buildings must be
energy efficient, according to gradual rules. Vernon has enforced the compulsory
parts of the regulation, and is getting prepared for upcoming tighter rules.
5.2 Moreno Valley
Moreno Valley, in Riverside County, is located in the heart of the ''Inland
Empire''. The city grew from 6,067 people in 1950 to 193,365 in 2011, with the
highest percentages of growth in the 1980s then in 2005-2006. The city exhibits a
great imbalance between housing and jobs, with many unskilled workers looking
for unskilled jobs. The unemployment rate is 16 %, higher than the County's
(which is higher than the State's, which in turn is higher than the Nation's aver-
age.) This is why Moreno Valley's 2011 Economic Development Action Plan sets
out to ''create jobs locally and address the City's high unemployment rate.'' In this
regard, logistics is among the city's two priorities for future economic develop-
ment (together with medical facilities.) The main employers in the city are the
military (9000), the public sector (3500), the medical sector (2400), retail (such as
Moreno Valley Mall) (1700), then the distribution centers which have from 200 to
600 employees individually.
There are already several developed warehousing areas in Moreno Valley. The
older one close to the city center is already home to distribution centers belonging
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