This Information Bulletin addresses the implementation of California Assembly Bill (AB) 98, as amended by California Senate Bill (SB) 415, which establishes design and build standards for specified warehouse developments.

Definitions

The following definitions shall be used in the application of the statute.

1. “Logistics Use Development” means a building that is primarily used as a warehouse for the movement or the storage of cargo, goods, or products that are moved to business or retail customers, or both, that does not predominantly serve retail customers for onsite purchases, and primarily involves the use of heavy-duty trucks to move the cargo, goods, or products. Logistics Use Development does not include any of the following:
   • Facilities where food or household goods are sold directly to consumers and are accessible to the public.
   • A building primarily served by rail to move cargo goods or products.
   • A project that involves logistics facilities (including warehousing and transloading facilities) served by rail and intermodal freight transport services, where all facility structures and related rail operations are located within a single site footprint.
   • A building that serves a primary agricultural use that is actively operated for a single period of 90 consecutive days or less each year.
2. “Sensitive Receptor” means one or more of the following:
   • A residence, including, but not limited to, a private home, apartment, condominium unit, group home, dormitory unit, or retirement home.
   • A school, including, but not limited to, a preschool, prekindergarten, or school maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
   • A daycare facility, including, but not limited to, in-home daycare.
   • Publicly owned parks, playgrounds, and recreational areas or facilities primarily used by children.
     1. The following types or park and recreation areas shall not be considered a sensitive receptor:
        1. Parks and recreation areas included as a condition of approval for the logistics use development.
        2. Land used to ensure the public’s right of access to the sea pursuant to the California Coastal Act.
        3. Land developed at or adjacent to an airport or seaport for the purpose of creating a buffer area between sensitive receptors and the airport or seaport facility.
   • Nursing homes, long-term care facilities, hospices, convalescent facilities, or similar live-in housing.
   • Hospitals.
3. “Expansion” means an increase in size of an existing logistics use development by 20% or more of the existing square footage. Office space shall not be included as part of the existing square footage or in the square footage for the 20% threshold.
4. “Heavy-Duty Truck” means a truck with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 to 33,000 pounds (Class 7) or greater than 33,000 pounds (Class 8).

Siting and Truck Routing

Site Criteria

1. Any new logistics use developments shall be sited on roadways that meet the following classifications:
   1. Arterial roads; or
   2. Collector roads; or
   3. Major thoroughfares; or
   4. Local roads that predominantly serve commercial, agricultural, or industrial uses. A road shall meet this requirement if more than 50% of the properties fronting the road within 1,000 feet of the logistics use development’s truck entrances and exits are designated for commercial, agricultural, or industrial use.

Additional information and a map of roadway classifications can be found on the Caltrans webpage.

2. A waiver may be granted when siting on one of the designated roadway classifications is impractical due to unique geographic, economic, or infrastructure-related reasons. To receive a waiver, the applicant must demonstrate all of the following:
   1. There is no feasible alternative site that exists within the designated roadway classifications;
   2. A traffic analysis has been completed and submitted to the City;
   3. The site is an existing industrial zone or an existing industrial or agricultural zone for an agricultural-related logistics use project; and
   4. The proposed site will incorporate mitigations to minimize traffic and environmental impacts on residential areas to the greatest extent feasible.

Truck Routing

1. Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or final inspection for a new or expanded logistics use development, the logistics use development operator shall establish and submit for approval a truck routing plan to and from the state highway system based on the latest truck route map of the city. The truck routing plan shall include the following:
   1. A description of the operational characteristics of the logistics use and of the logistics use development operator, including, but not limited to, hours of operation and types of items to be stored within the building.
   2. Proposed truck routing to and from the logistics use development to designated truck routes that, to the greatest extent possible, avoid passing sensitive receptors.
   3. Measures, such as signage and pavement markings, and queuing analysis for preventing truck queuing, circling, stopping, and parking on public streets.
2. A revised truck routing plan shall be submitted prior to issuance of a business license for any new tenant of the property. The city shall have discretion to determine if changes to the truck routing plan are necessary, including, but not limited to, any additional measures to alleviate truck routing and parking issues that may arise during the life of the logistics use development.

Development Criteria

The following criteria apply to all new or expanded logistics use developments.

1. The entry gates into the loading truck court shall be positioned after a minimum of 50 feet of total available stacking depth inside the property line. The stacking depth shall be increased by 70 feet for every 20 loading bays beyond 50 loading bays, to the extent feasible.
2. Anti-idling signs indicating a three-minute heavy-duty truck engine idling restriction shall be posted along entrances to the site and at the truck loading bays.
3. Signs shall be installed at all heavy-duty truck exit driveways directing truck drivers to the truck route, as indicated in the truck routing plan, and to the state highway system.

In addition to all requirements above, the following criteria apply to all new or expanded logistics use developments with loading bay(s) located within 900 feet of a sensitive receptor. The requirements shall not apply if the sensitive receptor is constructed, established, or permitted after the application submittal date for the logistics use development, unless a sensitive receptor already existed within 900 feet of the development.

1. The development shall comply with or exceed all requirements of the California Green Building Standards Code and California Energy Code, as amended in the Land Development Code, including, but not limited to, the following requirements related to:
   1. Photovoltaic system installation and associated battery storage.
   2. Cool roofing.
   3. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicle charging readiness.
   4. Light-duty electric vehicle charging readiness and installed charging stations.
2. Any heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning shall meet or exceed the applicable efficiency metrics required by the California Energy Code and local amendments to the California Energy Code.
3. The development shall provide conduits and electrical hookups at all loading bays serving cold storage, equal to one truck per every loading bay serving cold storage.
   1. Idling or use of auxiliary truck engine power to power climate control equipment shall be prohibited if the truck is capable of plugging in at the loading bay and sufficient power is available.
4. The development shall orient truck loading bays on the side of the logistics use development that is away from the nearest sensitive receptor, to the extent feasible.
5. The development shall provide a separate entrance for heavy-duty trucks accessible via a truck route, arterial road, major thoroughfare, or a local road that predominantly serves commercial, agricultural, or industrial uses. A separate entrance for heavy-duty trucks may include a driveway with a lane dedicated to heavy-duty trucks and a lane dedicated for other vehicles.
6. The development shall locate truck entry, exit, and internal circulation away from sensitive receptors. Heavy-duty diesel truck drive aisles shall not be located on the sides of the logistics use development that are directly adjacent to a sensitive receptor property line.
7. Buffer Requirements
   1. A new logistics use development shall include a buffer that fully screens the logistics use development from the sensitive receptor. On sites zoned for industrial uses, the buffer shall be at least 50 feet in width measured from the property line of all adjacent sensitive receptors. On sites not zoned for industrial uses, the buffer shall be at least 100 feet in width measured from the property line of all adjacent sensitive receptors.
   2. The buffer shall include the following:
      1. A solid decorative wall, landscaped berm and wall, or landscaped berm 10 feet or more in height.
      2. Drought-tolerant natural ground landscaping with proper irrigation.
      3. Solid-screen buffering trees planted in two rows along the length of the property line adjacent to the sensitive receptor. Trees used for this purpose shall be evergreen, drought-tolerant, to the extent feasible, composed of species with low biogenic emissions, of a minimum 36-inch box-size at planting, and spaced at no greater distance than 40 feet on center. Palm trees shall not be utilized.
      4. The buffer area may include any landscaped areas within a public right-of-way or public or private pedestrian walkways.
      5. The buffer area may include other hardscape, access, and passenger vehicle parking improvements.

In addition to all requirements above, the following criteria apply to all new or expanded logistics use developments that are located on sites not zoned for industrial uses, or that are 250,000 square feet or larger, with loading bay(s) located within 900 feet of a sensitive receptor. The requirements shall not apply if the sensitive receptor is constructed, established, or permitted after the application submittal date for the logistics use development, unless a sensitive receptor already existed within 900 feet of the development.

1. The development shall include skylights in at least 1% percent of the roof area, or equivalent LED efficient lighting.
2. Truck loading bays shall be located a minimum of 300 feet (for sites zoned for industrial development) or 500 feet (for sites not zoned for industrial development) from the property line of the nearest sensitive receptor to the nearest truck loading bay opening, as measured in a straight line.
3. All classes of forklifts used on site, pursuant to State Air Resources Board’s Zero-Emission Forklifts regulation, shall be zero-emission by January 1, 2028, and any equipment used on site utilizing small off-road engines (spark-ignition engines rated at or below 19 kilowatts or 25 horsepower or less) shall be zero-emission, to the extent operationally feasible, commercially off-the-shelf available, and adequate power available on site.
   1. If not operationally feasible, commercially off-the-shelf available, or if there is inadequate power available on site, the cleanest technology commercially available shall be used.
   2. Cost shall not be a factor in determining operational feasibility.
   3. Should any equipment used on site utilizing small off-road engines be contracted out, the logistics use development shall preferentially contract for services utilizing zero-emission small off-road engines.

In addition to all requirements above, the following criteria apply to all new or expanded logistics use developments that are 250,000 square feet or larger with loading bay(s) located within 900 feet of a sensitive receptor. The requirements shall not apply if the sensitive receptor is constructed, established, or permitted after the application submittal date for the logistics use development, unless a sensitive receptor already existed within 900 feet of the development.

1. The development shall include a microgrid-ready switchgear system capable of supporting distributed energy resources.
2. The development shall be equipped with or constructed so that advanced smart metering infrastructure can be readily installed and integrated with the building’s utility systems.
3. A minimum of 50% of all passenger vehicle parking spaces shall be preinstalled with conduit and all necessary physical infrastructure to support future charging of electric vehicles.
4. A minimum of 10% of all passenger vehicle parking spaces shall be installed with electric vehicle charging stations.

Housing Replacement Requirements

Approval of a logistics use development shall be subject to the Dwelling Unit Protection Regulations of Chapter 14, Article 3, Division 12 and California Government Code Section 66300, in addition to the following:

1. Two-to-one replacement of any demolished housing unit that was occupied within the last 10 years, unless the housing unit was declared substandard by a building official prior to purchase by the development. For each housing unit demolished, regardless of market value of the unit, two units of deed-restricted affordable housing for persons and families of low or moderate income shall be built within the City. Funds from any fee imposed for the replacement of demolished housing units shall be placed in a housing-specific set-aside account and shall be used for housing within three years of collection.
2. If residential dwellings are affected through purchase of the site, the developer shall provide any displaced tenant with an amount equivalent to 12 months’ rent at the current rate.

Application Requirements

The following must be included as part of an application for a logistics use development, in addition to standard application requirements:

• Truck routing plan, as described in Section II above.
• Clear identification on the plans of the location of any sensitive receptors in the proximity of the project site and a distance measurement from any loading bays to the sensitive receptor(s).
• A completed Form DS-498 Warehouse Design and Build Standards Compliance Certification that certifies compliance with all applicable requirements.