LA zoning proposal could reduce supply of trailer parking

Trailer parking near the ports of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach is notoriously constrained and it is likely to get worse. Hoping to gain customers who struggle with this issue, some real estate developers are taking a new approach. 

Finding adequate facilities to park trucks and store shipping containers is difficult throughout the United States, but the Greater Los Angeles area poses an even greater challenge for the logistics sector.

The port complexes areclosed in with boundaries on all sides from residential neighborhoods or wetlands that are not possible to build on. 

On top of that, a Harbor Gateway Community Plan under review by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning  would only allow 25% or less of industrial outdoor storage within the designated area. 

The plan area is approximately 3,229 acres linking the harbor, and the San Pedro, Wilmington and Harbor City communities to the main area of Los Angeles.The city touts improved transit, greater pedestrian development, park facilities and clean industrial uses that “will contribute to a healthy and active environment.” 

But this new zoning plan, along with new emission rules from the EPA and growing activity at the twin ports will likely only constrict industrial storage more. 

Carriers looking to store any asset related to freight, like empty chassis or containers, typically search for parking off port property to avoid costly daily rate fees, driving up demand for these facilities.

Thomas Wason, enterprise trucking carrier expert at FreightWaves, says carriers often look for their own leased spots to better handle costs. 

Some developers and real estate managers are taking the opportunity to transform old business sites into new trailer storage facilities. 

CBRE is developing  a site like this, hoping to entice carriers looking for spots to lease as parking becomes tighter. The commercial real estate services firm is demolishing an aging office facility on five acres and replacing it with a striped concrete slab that will accommodate 193 trailers. The converted property on South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles will be ready by June, according to CBRE.

CBRE Senior Vice President James Hooks told FreightWaves the yard will focus on empty containers on chassis for those seeking to avoid storage penalties at the ports. Inland Empire storage yards are further from the ports and mostly utilized for containers moving cross country.

CBRE intends to create an aesthetically pleasing environment for the surrounding area, balancing utility with charm to blend into the neighborhood.

The fenced site is fronted by a 14-foot concrete wall covered with stucco to hide containers from passersby.

Hooks explained other industrial sites can also be more creative with the environment, by using living walls or lining them with ivy. He also noted that the ability to process trucks inside the facility, instead of at the security gate, will reduce congestion and community disturbances. 

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Source: freightwaves - LA zoning proposal could reduce supply of trailer parking
Editor: Brielle Jaekel