Concerned Oceanside residents filled the city council chambers to the brim Monday night, for the planning commission meeting about the controversial Eddie Jones Warehouse.
Every time buzz words like "pollution," "traffic," or "semitrucks" were mentioned, they waved blue signs with a prohibition symbol over a semitruck.
The controversial warehouse and distribution facility is proposed to be built on Eddie Jones Way and Benet Road near the Oceanside Municipal Airport.
The developer is proposing a 497,882 square foot facility made up of four separate buildings, with a total of 56 semitruck bays.
It's a project residents like Dee Keck have been pushing back on for almost three years.
She’s a part of the group Oceanside Speaks Out, which formed when the project was first proposed.
The developer, RPG, originally proposed a 566,905 square foot facility with 114 truck bays. While RPG reduced the size of the project, Keck still sees problems.
"They continue to be warehouses with trucks coming and going and endless pollution and noise. There were no times of operation, hours of operation, that were restricted in this conditional use permit," Keck said.
The building's future tenants are another unknown. Four different companies could wind up filling the four separate buildings.
Dozens of residents expressed concern over traffic, pollution, fire evacuations and hours of operation during the meeting Monday.
Only a few residents voices support, highlighting the job growth the project could bring to the region. A report from the developer estimated there would be over 2,000 jobs during construction, and 1,300 permanent jobs once the development is built.
Ultimately, the planning commission voted to approve the project's conditional use permit, but reduced the number of semitruck bays from 56 to 34.
But Keck says that’s still too many.
"We are really wanting six trucks per parcel. So we're talking 18 semi trucks. Had they changed the configuration of the buildings and what businesses would have been drawn to use those buildings, we wouldn't even be wearing these shoes right now and having an issue. We would be supporting. We would be dancing."
But Keck and the rest of the volunteers with Oceanside Speaks Out will be busy collecting signatures, because they plan to appeal the decision.
"It's imperative that we do it now, because we are not happy with the decision. So it is imperative that we do this appeal within 10 days," Keck said.
The group needs a minimum of 25 signatures for the appeal. Keck is confident they will get them.
"We will be ready to say, 'This is the number of people who are willing to sign. You only needed 25 signatures.' And I promise you it will be far, far, far above that 25," Keck said.
The final decision will now be in the City Council’s hands along with the formal appeal from Oceanside Speak Out. No date has been set for the council's consideration of the project.
