LA zoning proposal could reduce supply of trailer parking

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 Environmental Protection Agency 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 Wasson, 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 represents a developing site like this, hoping to entice carriers looking for spots to lease as parking becomes tighter. Atlas Capital Group is demolishing an aging office facility on 5 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, who is the broker for the site, 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.

Atlas 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.