Council upholds approval for Golden West Circle warehouse after air‑quality appeal; appellant seeks HRA/EIR

The Westminster City Council on June 10 denied an appeal of Planning Commission approvals for a proposed two‑story industrial warehouse at 15172 Golden West Circle and adopted resolutions upholding the project's Mitigated Negative Declaration and development entitlements.

The project applicant proposes a 115,339‑square‑foot building (about 106,220 sq ft of warehouse space) with office and retail sales areas for Articraft Cabinetry. The applicant’s architect, John Cataldo, told council the company would employ between 80 and 100 people and bring sales and property tax benefits; he said the building would be an aesthetic upgrade to an older industrial site. Cataldo told the council his client sought the variance to allow a 44‑foot building height so signage would be visible over a freeway sound wall.

The appeal, filed by the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility (SAFER), argued the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) did not adequately analyze diesel particulate matter from construction and ongoing truck operations, and that an operational health‑risk assessment (HRA) or an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) should be required. SAFER submitted technical analyses and cited experts who concluded diesel particulate matter could pose elevated cancer risks.

Staff responded that the air‑quality analysis used the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) modeling tools, evaluated construction equipment mix and durations, and found emissions below SCAQMD significance thresholds; the MND also included mitigation measures such as the use of Tier‑3 (or better) equipment during construction. The MND was routed to SCAQMD for comment and staff reported no comments requiring an HRA. The city also engaged a third‑party reviewer (Ramble) who concluded construction and operational emissions were below significance thresholds and a quantitative HRA was not warranted.

At the hearing the applicant’s architect said additional consultants were retained to respond to the appeal and argued the appeal lacked grounds to deny entitlements; he also told council, "If we agree to use union labor, this thing goes away," a remark that drew attention during debate about opponents’ motives. Appellant counsel Noah Garrison argued that the district’s thresholds do not substitute for toxic‑air analyses of diesel particulate and urged the council to require an HRA and prepare an EIR.

After deliberation, council members voted to deny the appeal and approve the MND, development review and requested variance as recommended by staff. The vote and resolution language were recorded in the council minutes.

Why it matters: The decision returns the project to a path toward final permits and building permits in Westminster. Opponents raised air‑quality and health‑risk concerns tied to diesel particulate, while proponents highlighted local employment, reinvestment and improved architecture at an underused industrial site.

What’s next: The project proceeds under the MND with the mitigation measures described in the environmental document. Opponents may consider further legal options; the council record shows detailed exchanges about modeling methodologies and which thresholds apply.