I am writing to respectfully but firmly oppose the Airport South Industrial Project as currently proposed. I have lived in Westlake for many years. After reviewing the EIR for the project, I have serious concerns about its impact on public health, quality of life, environmental sustainability, and long-term planning integrity for our city.

What you are being asked to approve is nothing less than placing massive warehouses and diesel truck operations directly beside families and a K–8 school.

The City’s own EIR admits this project creates significant and unavoidable impacts. To the air we breathe. To the children who play outdoors every day. To the families who chose Westlake because it was supposed to be safe.

The buffer being proposed, roughly 125 feet plus a dirt strip, is an insult to the word “protection.” Diesel exhaust does not politely stop at 125 feet. Public-health experts recommend hundreds to thousands of feet of distance between children and heavy industrial truck activity.

Other communities across California have demanded a ¼-mile buffer. Our own Planning & Design Commission and countless residents have asked for the same. And yet those recommendations were brushed aside. There is no world in which 300 feet between a schoolyard and a warehouse truck court is enough. No parent would choose that for their child. And no city should impose it on ours.

We’ve all seen the consequences of bad planning before. Once these buildings go up, once the trucks start rolling 24/7, there is no going back. Diesel pollution will not reverse itself. Noise will not quiet itself. You would never put a school in the middle of a warehouse district. But that is exactly what you’ll be doing if this project is approved.

There is plenty of industrial land north of I-5, already developed for these uses, already away from homes. No one has provided a convincing explanation for why we must industrialize the one area directly beside a thriving neighborhood and a school.

The project’s job claims are inflated, unsupported by the City’s own numbers, and far too speculative to justify the very real and unavoidable harms this development will impose. The City’s own economic report shows far fewer jobs than what is being advertised — and with automation, even fewer still. There are no guarantees that these jobs stay local or benefit our residents. But the harms? Those are guaranteed — guaranteed by this EIR.

We are relying on you to use the authority we entrusted to you to protect our families from a harm that is entirely preventable. I am asking you to reject this project at this location. We deserve better. Paso Verde school deserves better.

This type of project might best be suited on the grounds of Jesuit High. I hear they are going to be needing extra buildings in a few years over there. Might just be outgoing supervisor Phil Serna’s next gig, But beware-anytime there is an important vote on anything, Phil takes a powder.

I recently moved to Natomas from Wilton, where I spent many happy weekends relaxing at Laguna Del Sol. Has anyone thought about maybe putting another Laguna Del Sol on this property, instead of a bunch of unsightly industrial buildings? It would be peaceful and sunny, and would really help those Westlake residents relax, because most of them are wound tighter than a two-dollar watch. The only problem could be the mosquitoes. I hear there are a lot of mosquitoes in that area.

As a long time, Natomas and Westlake resident, I urge you to vote no on this project. This project is too close to neighborhoods and schools. There are better areas suited for this project, both in location and with resources. This current project does not have sewer, roads that support big trucks, or public transportation for workers, etc.. It is not a well-thought-out project. We do not need additional warehouses in our region (so many nearby are still empty), and we especially do not need them near our neighborhoods and schools. The noise, air, and environmental pollution that this project is sure to cause, would destroy our home and property values, as well as harm local residents and school children. Please put yourself in our shoes and vote. No for this project. Thank you.

Annexing a prime piece of real estate just to put a bunch of buildings on it’s not in the best interest of the community. Stuff like this is exactly what drove lame duck supervisor Phil Serna into an early retirement. I would imagine Westlake Village residence, including Lisa Kaplan are none to pleased about this.

Schools and senior centers used to be in my customer wheelhouse, but since I retired, I am very careful about what types of building projects I support. This one just does not meet the sniff test. Oppose.

Whose dim bulb idea was this? As an environmentalist, I oppose on moral grounds.

This thing has grease fire written all over it. Not only will it increase traffic, but it will also attract homeless and other unsavory societal ills. I’ve been in the Westlake community for 11 years, and I rarely agree with my cousin, but I have to oppose a warehouse at this location.

My name is Lisa Williams, and I am a resident of Westlake. When my husband and I moved from the County to the City of Sacramento two years ago, we did so believing the lands around us near the airport were protected from development because of the sensitive habitats they contain. We would have never bought a house here in Westlake if we’d known the City was going to go back on their word to protect these habitats and instead surround us with pollution, industrial facilities, and heavy truck traffic. We have recently retired from public service and had hoped to spend our golden years surrounded by the beautiful nature here in Natomas. My husband and I both spent our careers as environmental scientists and policy makers trying to protect Californians who were disproportionately impacted by air pollution because of where they lived. And now, we find ourselves in a similar situation, hoping someone will have the sense and decency to afford us those same protections.

We know how harmful this project will be to our health and the health of thousands of families around us if it is allowed to move forward. Please do the right thing and vote no on this project.

I am a senior citizen and live on the Garden Highway. I have Irritable bowel syndrome, and I believe all the extra noise and traffic will disrupt my morning constitutional. Thank you.

I'm totally oppose to this project.
Too close to residential areas, schools, and senior facilities.
There are many empty parcels north of the airport and away from South and North Natomas

I live in Westlake and I love our gates that keep all the Hoi Polloi off our streets and away from my house. There ought to be a law against anyone occupying my view shed, because it will bother me and prevent me from livin' my best life.

This development is too close to the elementary school and the residential neighborhood. It could be relocated further north or to another parcel. There are many vacant parcels in the area around the airport. Most of the comments favoring this proposal come from those who don't live in the area but are wanting jobs that will be involved in the construction of the project. There are many residents and parents of school children who have voiced important valid concerns about the impact of this project. In the best interests of the citizens of North Natomas, please vote "No."

My name is Jonathan Burke and I am a 22 year resident of Westlake. Please vote “No” on the Airport South Industrial Project. Accepted community plans have been ignored, sadly the project is not environmentally sound, there are pollution and traffic concerns, and the project has not been fully vetted with our communities. There are potential compromises that have not been explored such as increasing the buffer distance, swapping Building #5 with the highway commercial buildings, or lowering Building #5's height.

No elevations of the actual warehouses have been shared. More specifically no "view shed studies" were performed (or required) that would have shown how the building would appear from surrounding residential properties as well as public viewpoints. (E.g. I don't know whether or not the buildings would be visible to me or potential buyers of my residence.)

I realize that the basis for voting on this project, for other city council-members, will probably only revolve around the issue of how much tax revenue it will add to the general fund, which would benefit them. I ask that a higher view be taken that includes the impacts on animals and humans in North Natomas. Please vote "No."

As a resident of the Westlake neighborhood in North Natomas whose property faces the beautiful open space that this ill-advised project would pave over, I vehemently oppose the project and urge you to vote NO. The cons of ASIP (noise, air, and light pollution; loss of open space and farmland; diminution of property values, aesthetic appeal, and quality of life for Westlake and the surrounding community; demonstrated adverse health impacts for the children and families in the adjacent school and residential neighborhood; even more heavy truck traffic clogging the freeways and residential streets; no demonstrated need for more warehouses in this area, to name a few) so far exceed the pros that I am outraged that city staff have championed it and appalled that the City Council is even considering it. Please listen to the serious concerns of those who will be most affected by this disastrous proposal and do not approve this project as currently proposed. If you do make the misguided and unconscionable decision to greenlight it, I beg you to require a much larger setback from the Westlake neighborhood and school, 1500 feet at a minimum.

I’m not necessarily opposed to the project in theory, there are a lot of sound reasons to be building a warehouse complex here with its close access to highway 5, the airport, and the warehouses on the north side of highway 5. There are a lot of benefits from this type of project, it's more of a matter if the downsides of the project have been managed well enough and why aren’t these warehouses being placed in the Metro Air Park along Metro Air Pkwy which is already built for this type of work.

The road improvements within the new industrial area seem quite sound and sufficient, but I think many are concerned about these new heavy vehicles using Bayou Way, Power Line rd, El Centro Rd, and Del Paso Rd without those roads getting improvements/expansions. Having more investments in these roads, banning heavy vehicles on these roads, or just not having the new complex connected to Bayou Way would help reduce concerns. Also there is still a lot of space in Metro Air Park and Metro Air Pkwy is built for this type of traffic, so not sure why that site isn’t being used instead?

In terms of flood risks, the detention basins and current plans can help reduce flood risks. Parcels 2 & 4 have large detention basins, but parcel 5 seems quite small. There seems to be a good amount of effect to protect the project buildings from flooding, but it's not clear how this project will affect the general region’s flood risk and for Sacramento it's important that all new construction help with managing the city wide flood risk. Also, it looks like SacSewer is going to have to pay for $12.45 million because of this project, so I’m concerned about the burden this might place on SacSewer.

There are legitimate concerns about air pollution and noise pollution, especially with it being so close to Paso Verde School. How many trees are going to be planted on this site to help with that? If Parcel 8, which doesn’t seem to have plans yet for commercial use, was turned into a managed nature area with lots of trees, designed to help soak up flood water, that would be useful to local wildlife (maybe a pollinator garden), and a small park, this would help out a lot with the air pollution and noise pollution concern since this section is closest to the school and many residents. I think a lot could be done with that space to minimize the downsides of the project and get the community more on board with the project.

The plan documentation is quite dense and large, so some or all of these concerns may have already been addressed, and if that's the case better public outreach would help.

If there is one thing we don't have enough of in Sacramento, it's warehouses. I love to walk around a nice warehouse parking lot in the early morning and take a long cleansing breath full of diesel fumes from the idling trucks. I support any warehouse project that paves over farmland, especially if it is owned by billionaires with political connections, like this one. Who wants to be known as the City of Trees, when we can become the City of Warehouses?

I am in favor of this project, and I am artificially intelligent, just like all of the other bots who say they support it.

I urge the City Council to reject this expansion known as the Airport South Industrial Annexation. I am doing this since our own Councilwoman is barred from doing so. As a resident of this area, we are now subject to rapid encroachment of commercialism and industrialization, all of it leading to a declining lifestyle, especially for us retired persons. Please keep what is left of the rural nature of North Natomas.
Thank you. Stan Deutsch, 4041 Hovnanian Drive, Sacramento 95834

This project should not be approved. It is basically adjacent to homes, school, and quality of life. Build it over by the airport side of Hwy 5. The disruption to wildlife, people, and traffic will be unacceptable. We don't need additional warehouses in our community.
Lynn Duarte