In a significant reversal of an unpopular 2022 move, Redlands city officials are lowering the speed limits along 55 stretches of city streets, effective in September.
City officials at all levels in Redlands, from the city council down through city management to various department heads that included the police chief, the fire chief and the head of the city’s public works division, sustained uniform black eyes when in the immediate aftermath of raising the speed limit on 45 spans of road throughout the 36.4-square mile city, a 16-year-old on a bicycle in close proximity to Moore Middle School ended up dead, after being run down by a car.
To duck their collective responsibility, Redlands officials, rather than rescind the speed limit increases, elected to wait “a decent interim” in an effort to save face, waiting until now, 32 months later, to restore the safer speed limits.
In accordance with California Vehicle Code and standards outlined in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the Redlands public works division in early 2022 had an outside consultant initiate a traffic study that is generally required to be completed in most California municipalities every seven to fourteen years under the supervision of those cities’ engineering divisions.
Conceptually and in accordance with state standards, those surveys monitor the average speed of vehicles along specific spans of roadway, such that, corresponding to those speed averages, a determination of the appropriate speed limit along those roadways at those points is set. Although the average speed of cars measured during the survey period is not the sole criterion used in ascertaining the appropriate speed limit along a given span of roadway, the application of elements of the vehicle code, jurisprudence standards used in California traffic courts, case law and other considerations have resulted in those cited for exceeding the posted speed limit having their citations dismissed upon a demonstration that the posted speed is below the 85th percentile of the actual free-flow collective average speeds of vehicles measured passing along that particular corridor. Thus, a loose standard among traffic engineers and cities has evolved where cities use a standard of the 85th percentile of the average speed along a given road as the speed limit that is to be posted.
Adherence to this standard is not without controversy. Simply, that many motorists along a specific span of roadway exceed what is under normal conditions a sensible and safe speed should not, many people feel, result in the speed limit being increased to an unsafe level. City officials, on the other hand, seeking to ensure that any speeding citations that are issued will result in convictions if they are contested in court, default to using that standard. Put simply, those municipal officials insist it is incumbent upon them to up the speed limit whenever fewer than 85 out of 100 vehicles along that stretch obey the speed limit during the time they are surveying the speed of vehicles there.
According to the traffic study of some 132 stretches of roadway in Redlands done by RK Engineering Group in 2022 and released by the city on October 28, 2022, along 45 of those 132 spans the recommendation was that the speed limit be increased.
In 38 of those cases, the recommended increases were five miles per hour. Included in these were spans along Alabama Street, Alta Vista Drive, Cajon Street, California Street, Center Street, Citrus Avenue, Colton Avenue, Crescent Avenue, Dearborn Street, Elizabeth Street, Fern Avenue, Ford Street, Franklin Avenue, Garden Street, Grove Street, Highland Avenue, Lugonia Avenue, Mountain View Avenue, Orange Tree Lane, Pacific Street, Palmetto Avenue, Palo Alto Drive, Pennsylvania Avenue, Pioneer Avenue, Reservoir Road, San Bernardino Avenue, San Mateo Street, Sunset Drive, Sunnyside Avenue, Texas Street, Via Vista Drive, University Street and Wabash Avenue.
In seven of the cases, the recommendation was that those speed limits jump by ten miles per hour. Those included: along Sunset Drive, from Panorama Point to Franklin Avenue, where the speed limit went from 25 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour; on Sunset Drive from Vinton Way to Alta Vista Drive, where the speed limit of 30 miles per hour was increased to 40 miles per hour; the span of Pioneer Avenue from Occidental Drive to Dearborn Street, where the 35 miles per hour limit was upped to 45 miles per hour; westbound on Palmetto Avenue, between Nevada Street and California Street, which saw the 30 miles per hour limit jump to 40 miles per hour; on Orange Tree Lane from Nevada Street to Alabama Street, where RK Engineering’s survey resulted in a recommended increase from 30 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour; the length of Franklin Avenue between Oak Street and Garden Street, where the limit increased from 25 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour; and on Dearborn Street from 5th Avenue to Colton Avenue, which entailed a ten mile per hour increase from 30 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour.
In seven other cases, the speed limit was reduced by five miles per hour, those being on Brockton Avenue from New York Street to Texas Street; Central Avenue from University Street to Judson Street; Cypress Avenue from Center Street to Redlands Boulevard; eastbound Lugonia Avenue from California Street to Alabama Street; Mariposa Drive from Halsey Street to Dwight Street; Texas Street from Lugonia Avenue to San Bernardino Avenue; and Texas Street from San Bernardino Avenue to Domestic Avenue.
In the remaining 80 survey areas, it was recommended that no change to the existing speed limit be made. On March 2, 2022, the Redlands Traffic and Parking Commission received the RK Engineering Group’s study and made an official acceptance of its findings, and at its June 7, 2022, the city council likewise accepted the traffic study as complete and factual.
Scores of residents objected to those speed limit increases. Among the issues raised were that the surveys were misleading in many respects, based upon how they were carried out; that legislation then wending its way through the state legislature, Assembly Bill 43, which was ultimately signed into law on October 8, 2022, allowed the city to keep its current speed limits intact by dispensing with the 85th percentile guideline if it could be demonstrated safety considerations warranted doing so; that John Harris, the director of Redlands’ engineering division, who was not licensed to practice engineering in California, had overridden the city’s licensed engineer, Goutam Dobey, with regard to the setting of the city’s speed limits; that key factors along the routes where the limits were raised, such as the nearby presence of schools, were not considered when making the speed limit increases; that there were blind spots along some of the stretches where the speed limits were increased; that motorists in certain areas of the city were speeding at breakneck speed; that because of the long, sweeping curves and steep gradients of certain roads in the city, vehicles traveling along them had a tendency to drift out of their lanes into those of oncoming traffic; that far more city residents were importuning the city to lower the speed limits than to raise them; that on some of the busy streets earmarked for speed limit increases there were significant numbers of children waiting for school buses or parents walking out to meet them at drop-off areas, as well as bicycle riders, skateboarders and dog walkers; that the surveyors were in large measure unfamiliar with the area, the streets being surveyed or their history; that some of the roads upon which the increases were taking place featured contours and steep grades that required focused and careful driving; that fatal accidents had occurred on some of the stretches where the speed was to be increased; that some of the roads in question were commonly traveled by slower trucks behind which traffic unable to see a safe distance ahead would line up; that roads where the speed limit increases were to take place were already host to cars traveling at excessive and unsafe speeds, making unsafe lane changes; that features on many of the streets, including pedestrian traffic, bicycle traffic, curves, gradients, residential saturation, school bus stops, blind corners and hidden driveways, provided the city with the authority and discretion to maintain the speed limits it already had; that the excessive speed a small or even medium percentage of drivers maintained on the city’s streets was a poor reason to up the speed limit; that the raising of the speed limit would result in people already driving at unsafe rates of speed driving even faster; that there were blind corners at certain spots along some of the roads on which the speed limit was being upped where smaller roads met or intersected with those roads; that children sometimes crossed the streets or roads where the speed limit increases were to take place; that there were no sidewalks along some of the spans of road where the speed limit was being increased; that the percentile-based speed limit setting method was prone to failure because it set the speed limit based on current human behavior rather than safety considerations; and that the 85th percentile method of determining the speed limit adjusts for the fastest drivers, not the safest drivers.
At its November 15, 2022 meeting, the Redlands City Council introduced and gave what is referred to as the first reading, or approval, of the ordinance which incorporated 38 five-mile-per-hour speed limit increases, seven ten-mile-per-hour speed limit increases and seven five-mile-per-hour speed limit reductions. The ordinance was given final approval, undergoing a second reading and was given passage by the city council on December 6, 2022.
Some 36 hours later, at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday morning, December. 8, 2022 in the 1400 block of 5th Avenue, near Marion Road, there was a fatal collision involving a bicyclist who was struck by a 2012 Ford Escape, driven by an 89-year-old woman from Yucaipa. The victim was a 16-year-old Mexican national who was visiting the area and was scheduled to return to Mexico following Christmas.
While all five members of the city council, the city manager, the public works director and the police chief instantaneously recognized their error in upping the speed limits, on the advice of the city attorney, no corrective action was taken as there was concern that doing so would be taken as a tacit acknowledgment that the city had acted irresponsibly and negligently, opening the city to adverse judgments by any motorists who had been involved in traffic collisions or mishaps along the portions of the roadway in question as a consequence of the speeds being traveled thereon.
The city waited some two-and-one half years before acting to adjust speed limits in the city downward this spring. Consequent to action taken by the council at its May 20, 2025 meeting, beginning on September 1, the speed limit: on Alabama Street from Barton Road to Park Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Alabama Street from Park Avenue to Lugonia Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Alabama Street from the city limit south of the Santa Ana River to the city limit north of Santa Ana River will be reduced to 55 miles per hour; on Alessandro Road from Crescent Avenue to Sunset Drive will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Alessandro Road from Sunset Drive to Creekside Drive will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Alessandro Road from Creekside Drive to San Timoteo Canyon Road will be reduced to 35 miles perhour; on Alta Vista Drive from Florida Street to Sunset Drive will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Barton Road from West City Limit to Terracina Boulevard will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Barton Road from Terracina Boulevard to Alabama Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Barton Road from Alabama Street to Lakeside Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles perhour; on Brockton Avenue from New York Street to Texas Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Brockton Avenue from Texas Street to Church Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Brockton Avenue from Church Street to Judson Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Brockton Avenue from Judson Street to Wabash Avenue will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Brookside Avenue from Lakeside Avenue to Center Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; Brookside Avenue from Center Street to Eureka Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Cajon Street from Vine Street to Fern Avenue will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Cajon Street from Fern Avenue to Garden Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on California Street from Palmetto Avenue to Almond Avenue (southbound) will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on California Street from Almond Avenue to Redlands Boulevard will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Center Street from State Street to Brookside Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Center Street from Brookside Avenue to Cypress Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Center Street from Cypress Avenue to Crescent Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Center Street from Crescent Avenue to Ridge Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Central Avenue from University Street to Judson Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Church Street from Pioneer Avenue to Redlands Boulevard will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Citrus Avenue from Eureka Street to Orange Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; Citrus Avenue from Redlands Boulevard to University Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Citrus Avenue from University Street to Wabash Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Colton Avenue from Redlands Boulevard to Church Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Colton Avenue from Church Street to Grove Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Colton Avenue from Grove Street to Dearborn Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Colton Avenue from Dearborn Street to Wabash Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Crescent Avenue from Ramona Drive to Serpentine Drive will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Crestview Road from Ford Street to Buckingham Drive will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Cypress Avenue from Terracina Boulevard to Center Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Cypress Avenue from Center Street to Redlands Boulevard will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Cypress Avenue from Redlands Boulevard to Citrus Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Dearborn Street from 5th Avenue to Colton Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Dearborn Street from Colton Avenue to Lugonia Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Dearborn Street from Lugonia Avenue to San Bernardino Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Dearborn Street from San Bernardino Avenue to Sessums Drive will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Elizabeth Street from Garden Street to Crescent Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Fern Avenue from Redlands Boulevard to Cajon Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Fern Avenue from Cajon Street to Center Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Fern Avenue from Center Street to San Mateo Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Fern Avenue from San Mateo Street to Terracina Boulevard will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Fifth Avenue Ford Street to Dearborn Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Fifth Avenue from Dearborn Street to Wabash Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Ford Street from Citrus Avenue to Fifth Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Ford Street from Fifth Avenue to Reservoir Road will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Ford Street from Reservoir Road to Sunset Drive will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Ford Street from Sunset Drive to Garden Hill Drive will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Franklin Avenue from Eucalyptus Drive to Oak Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Franklin Avenue from Oak Street to Garden Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Garden Street from Mariposa Drive to Cajon Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Grove Street from Highland Avenue to Citrus Avenue will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Grove Street from Citrus Avenue to Brockton Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Highland Avenue from Ford Street to Cajon Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Highland Avenue from Cajon Street to San Mateo Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Highland Avenue from San Mateo Street to Serpentine Drive will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Judson Street from Citrus Avenue to Colton Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Judson Street from Colton Avenue to Lugonia Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Judson Street from Lugonia Avenue to Pioneer Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Live Oak Canyon Road from San Timoteo Canyon Road to the easterly city boundary will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from 1,500 feet w/o Research Avenue to California Street will be reduced to 45 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from California Street to Alabama Street (eastbound) will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from Alabama Street to Tennessee Street (eastbound) will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; Lugonia Avenue from Tennessee Street to Texas Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from Texas Street to Orange Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Mariposa Drive from Wabash Avenue to Country Club Drive will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Mariposa Drive from Country Club Drive to Garden Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Mariposa Drive from Halsey Street to Dwight Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Mountain View Avenue from the I-10 Freeway to Central Avenue (northbound) will be reduced to 45 miles per hour; on New York Street from Colton Avenue to Lugonia Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Olive Avenue from Citrus Avenue to San Mateo Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Olive Avenue from San Mateo Street to Terracina Boulevard will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Orange Street from Lugonia Avenue to Pioneer Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Orange Street from Pioneer Avenue to Hubbard Court will be reduced to 45 miles per hour; Orange Street from Hubbard Court to the city limits will be reduced to 50 miles per hour; on Orange Tree Lane from California Street to Nevada Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Orange Tree Lane from Nevada Street to Alabama Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Pacific Street from Crescent Avenue to Carob Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Pacific Street from Carob Street to Ridge Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Palm Avenue from Serpentine Drive to San Mateo Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Palm Avenue from San Mateo Street to Ford Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Palmetto Avenue from Nevada Street to California Street (westbound) will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Palmetto Avenue from California Street to Marigold Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Judson Street from Colton Avenue to Lugonia Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Judson Street from Lugonia Avenue to Pioneer Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Live Oak Canyon Road from San Timoteo Canyon Road to the easterly city boundary will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from 1,500 feet w/o Research Avenue to California Street will be reduced to 45 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from California Street to Alabama Street (eastbound) will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from Alabama Street to Tennessee Street (eastbound) will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from Tennessee Street to Texas Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Lugonia Avenue from Texas Street to Orange Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Mariposa Drive from Wabash Avenue to Country Club Drive will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Mariposa Drive from Country Club Drive to Garden Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Mariposa Drive from Halsey Street to Dwight Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Mountain View Avenue from the I-10 Freeway to Central Avenue (northbound) will be reduced to 45 miles per hour; on New York Street from Colton Avenue to Lugonia Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Olive Avenue from Citrus Avenue to San Mateo Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Olive Avenue from San Mateo Street to Terracina Boulevard will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Orange Street from Lugonia Avenue to Pioneer Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Orange Street from Pioneer Avenue to Hubbard Court will be reduced to 45 miles per hour; on Orange Street from Hubbard Court to the city limits will be reduced to 50 miles per hour; on Orange Tree Lane from California Street to Nevada Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Orange Tree Lane from Nevada Street to Alabama Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Pacific Street from Crescent Avenue to Carob Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Pacific Street from Carob Street to Ridge Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Palm Avenue from Serpentine Drive to San Mateo Street will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Palm Avenue from San Mateo Street to Ford Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Palmetto Avenue from Nevada Street to California Street (westbound) will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Palmetto Avenue from California Street to Marigold Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Palo Alto Drive from Country Club Drive to Mirasol Drive will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Palo Alto Drive from Mirasol Drive to Sunset Drive will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Pennsylvania Avenue from Texas Street to Orange Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Pennsylvania Avenue from Orange Street to Church Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Pennsylvania Avenue from Church Street to University Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Pennsylvania Avenue from University Avenue to Judson Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Pioneer Avenue from Texas Street to Orange Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Pioneer Avenue from Orange Street to Occidental Drive will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; Pioneer Avenue from Occidental Drive to Dearborn Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Pioneer Avenue from Texas Street to the I-210 Freeway will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Redlands Boulevard from California Street to Texas Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Redlands Boulevard from Texas Street to Eureka Street will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Redlands Boulevard from Eureka Street to Citrus Avenue will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Redlands Boulevard from Citrus Avenue to Highland Avenue will be reduced to 30 miles per hour; on Redlands Boulevard from Highland Avenue to Ford Street will be reduced to 50 miles per hour; on Reservoir Road from Ford Street to Wabash Avenue will be reduced to 45 miles per hour; on Rossmont Drive
from Garden Street to Sunset Drive will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on San Bernardino Avenue from Tennessee Street to Orange Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on San Bernardino Avenue from Orange Street to University Street will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on an Bernardino Avenue from University Street to Wabash Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on San Bernardino Avenue from Mountain View Avenue to California Street will be reduced to 50 miles per hour; on San Mateo Street from Brookside Avenue to Fern Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour San Mateo Street from Fern Avenue to Highland Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; San Timoteo Canyon Road Fern Avenue to Barton Road will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Sunset Drive from Alta Vista Drive to Panorama Point will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Sunset Drive from Panorama Point to Wabash Avenue will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Sunset Drive from Wabash Avenue to Ford Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Sunset Drive from Ford Street to Franklin Avenue will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Sunset Drive from Serpentine Road to Alessandro Drive will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Sunset Drive from Alessandro Drive to Ridge Street will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Sunset Drive from Ridge Street to Helen Drive will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; Sunset Drive from Helen Drive to Alta Vista Drive will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Sunnyside Avenue from Fern Avenue to Cypress Avenue will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; Sunnyside Avenue from Cypress Avenue to Smiley Heights Drive will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Tennessee Street and on San Mateo Street from Colton Avenue to Brookside Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Terracina Boulevard from Barton Road to Olive Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Terracina Boulevard from Olive Avenue to Cypress Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Texas Street from Redlands Boulevard to Lugonia Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Texas Street from Lugonia Avenue to San Bernardino Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Texas Street from San Bernardino Avenue to Domestic Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on University Street from Cypress Avenue to Colton Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on University Street from Colton Avenue to Lugonia Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on University Street from Lugonia Avenue to San Bernardino Avenue will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Via Vista Drive from Country Club Drive to Helena Lane will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; on Wabash Avenue from Fifth Avenue to Citrus Avenue will be reduced to 40 miles per hour; on Wabash Avenue from Citrus Avenue to Colton Avenue will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Wabash Avenue from Colton Avenue to Sessums Drive will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; on Wabash Avenue from Fifth Avenue to Panorama Drive will be reduced to 35 miles per hour; Wabash Avenue from Reservoir Road to Palo Alto will be reduced to 25 miles per hour; and on Wabash Avenue from Reservoir Road to Palo Alto will be reduced to 25 miles per hour.

An effort to impose a 45-day moratorium on the planning, consideration, approval and construction of gas stations and car washes in Yucaipa while the planning division arrives at a new set of standards for such projects fell two votes short when the city council took up the matter at its last meeting in July.
According to a staff report dated July 28, 2025, prepared for that evening’s city council meeting by Fermin Preciado, Yucaipa’s director of development services and city engineer, and Benjamin Matlock, the deputy director of community development and city planner, “Within the city’s approximately 28 square mile jurisdiction, there are currently 14 fuel station facilities in operation and an additional four that have been entitled, three of which are under construction. In combination, a total of 18 fuel stations could be in operation in the near future. In addition, there are currently 10 existing carwash facilities, with two that are under construction. These car facilities include a mix of accessory washes to to a fuel station, several ‘full service’ carwashes, several express carwash tunnels, or coin operated washes. The City of Yucaipa has a current population of approximately 55,000 people, and a general plan buildout of approximately 80,000 people Due to the relatively high sales margins of these specific, uses, the City has seen a proliferation of these businesses.”
According to Preciado and Matlock, during discussion by city officials, “[I]t was recognized that the city has seen substantial growth with these two land uses, and that community members have expressed concern over the saturation of those uses. In addition, [the] council has recognized that the oversaturation of car washes in the city provides minimal economic benefit to the city r city residents, as that use results in low sales tax revenues, and does not hire a significant number of employees. The city council also recognized that the development of these saturated uses would result in the loss of commercially zoned land in prime areas of the community that could otherwise be developed to provide a significant benefit and revenue to the community “
Preciado and Matlock’s report said the city council had the option of initiating a complete prohibition of new fuel stations and carwashes, a partial prohibition of new such facilities limited primarily to along the freeway corridor, a prohibition of just car washes or just fuel stations or it could make no…