By Tammye McDuff
Cerritos is not the only area city with semi tractor-trucks rumbling through the city.
On Tuesday, February 1, the Norwalk City Council unanimously approved a resolution to support the proposed Santa Fe Springs General Plan Update to reduce the health and environmental impacts of heavy truck traffic on the residents of Norwalk.
Norwalk residents have increasingly raised their concerns about the public health and public safety impacts of industrial development and activity on their quality of life. There are several large freight forwarding, distribution, and warehousing businesses that are located in Santa Fe Springs that generate thousands of truck trips. Several Norwalk streets including Carmenita Road, Bloomfield Avenue, Imperial Highway, and Norwalk Boulevard, among other streets, are affected by significant noise, air pollution, and congestion at all hours of the day by these industrial businesses located in Santa Fe Springs.
One of the largest heavy truck businesses that impacts Norwalk is the DAMCO distribution facility located on Excelsior Drive in Sante Fe Springs. According to a recent traffic study this business brings 700 trucks through the community every day that impact Bloomfield, Norwalk and Pioneer Boulevards. You can check out American Freight Inc site which offers trucking services to various parts of the country.
Santa Fe Springs’ update includes a reclassification of land use designations near residential areas from Industrial to Business Park and Light Industrial uses. It will transform some of the properties affecting Norwalk residents into mixed-use employment centers with professional offices, research and development, and clean flex industrial.
A special meeting was held by Santa Fe Springs City Council regarding their plan to change some warehousing and trucking buildings into office, retail, and manufacturing businesses.
Several Norwalk residents raised concerns regarding the trucks during public comment.
“My City Council colleagues and myself had been hearing from several Norwalk residents regarding traffic congestion and loud noises associated with the former Vons Distribution Center and we had explored several different options to remedy this situation,” stated Mayor Rick Ramirez, “I’m glad that the City of Santa Fe Springs took our Norwalk residents into consideration when updating their General Plan and I’m looking forward to the area affecting Norwalk residents being updated.”