City Council extends moratorium on new development applications in North Pyrite Master Plan Area.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that at their February 19, 2026, meeting, the City Council of the City of Jurupa Valley, California, adopted Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 2020-02 entitled:
AN INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JURUPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, EXTENDING A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL (INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE 2026-01) PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65858 ON THE ACCEPTANCE, PROCESSING, OR APPROVAL OF NEW DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS WITHIN THE PROPOSED NORTH PYRITE MASTER PLAN AREA
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JURUPA VALLEY DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:Legislative Findings . On January 15, 2026, the City Council adopted Interim Ordinance 2026-01 imposing a 45-day temporary moratorium on the acceptance, processing, or approval of new development applications in the proposed North Pyrite Master Plan (“NPMP”) Area with some exceptions. That ordinance will expire on March 1, 2026 (45 days after adoption).
Since the adoption of Interim Urgency Ordinance 2026-01, the City has initiated environmental study planning efforts for the NPMP Area, including preparation of a Request for Proposal for consultant services to prepare an area-wide hazard and environmental analysis to evaluate potential risks related to soil, groundwater, and vapor intrusion. The City has also continued coordination with regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”), regarding the status of the Stringfellow Superfund Site, ongoing remediation activities, and anticipated land use considerations. The City continues to engage with the EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program, which provides technical assistance related to reuse planning, environmental constraints, and redevelopment compatibility at no cost to the City.
Despite these measures taken, the conditions that led to adoption of Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-01 have not been fully alleviated. The comprehensive Environmental Hazards and Development Safety Evaluation necessary to determine whether, where, and under what conditions future development may safely occur in the NPMP Area has not been completed and remains essential to protecting public health and safety.
Extending the Interim Urgency Ordinance is therefore necessary to allow sufficient time for completion of this evaluation, continued coordination with regulatory agencies, and translation of technical findings into appropriate land use and regulatory measures. Allowing new development approvals to proceed prior to completion of this work could expose future occupants, downstream residents, and the broader community to potential environmental and safety risks and could interfere with ongoing remediation efforts associated with the Stringfellow Superfund Site.
Accordingly, the City Council finds that there is a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare presented by the unregulated development or operation of land entitlements and the expansion of uses in the NPMP Area that would be inconsistent with the City’s land use goals. In the absence of immediate effectiveness, the approval of building permits, conditional use permits or any other applicable entitlements for such uses will frustrate the City’s ability to adopt and enforce appropriate regulations designed to protect surrounding development and the public health, safety and welfare from the potential adverse impacts of land entitlements in the NPMP Area . Due to the foregoing circumstances, the City Council finds and determines that the immediate preservation of the public health, safety and welfare requires that this interim ordinance be extended as an urgency ordinance pursuant to Government Code Section 65858 and takes effect immediately upon adoption, and its urgency is hereby declared.
CEQA Finding . The City Council hereby finds that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the adoption of this Interim Ordinance will have a significant effect on the environment because the adoption of this Interim Ordinance will maintain the current environmental conditions arising from the current land use regulatory structure as adopted by the City, will preclude the establishment of a category of uses for a limited period of time, and will serve to reduce potential significant adverse environmental impacts caused by the establishment of any new land entitlements or expansion of any existing uses in the NPMP Area. The City Council therefore determines that the adoption of this Interim Ordinance and the effects derivative from its adoption are exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review pursuant to Title 14, Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Code of Regulations.
Moratorium Extended . The moratorium enacted pursuant to City of Jurupa Valley Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 2026-01 is hereby extended pursuant to Government Code Section 65858 for ten (10) months and fifteen (15) days past the initial expiration date of Ordinance No. 2026-01 so as to extend the moratorium until January 16, 2027. Therefore, this ordinance shall expire and terminate at midnight on January 16, 2027 unless it is further extended.
Exceptions . This Interim Ordinance and the moratorium enacted hereby shall not affect any existing land use, previously approved pursuant to the Jurupa Valley Municipal Code that does not seek an expansion in use. All existing land uses in the NPMP Area shall comply with the requirements of the Jurupa Valley Municipal Code and the terms and conditions of any permit issued pursuant thereto.
Immediate Effect . This Interim Ordinance is an urgency ordinance for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety within the meaning of Government Code sections 36934, 36937 and 65858 and therefore shall be passed immediately upon its introduction and shall become effective immediately upon its adoption, by a minimum four-fifths (4/5) vote of the City Council.
Penalty . A violation of any provision of this Interim Ordinance shall constitute a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment for a period not to exceed six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each and every day such a violation exists shall constitute a separate and distinct violation of this Interim Ordinance. In addition to the foregoing, any violation of this Interim Ordinance shall constitute a public nuisance and shall be subject to abatement as provided by all applicable provisions of law.
Planning Studies and Written Report . City staff shall promptly commence the studies they may deem necessary and appropriate to make recommendations to the City Council regarding the development, use and expansion of land entitlements in the NPMP Area and the criteria for regulating these uses. Pursuant to Government Code Section 65858(d), City staff shall prepare and submit for City Council adoption, at least ten (10) days prior to the expiration of this Interim Ordinance, or any extension hereof, a written report describing the measures taken to alleviate the conditions that led to the adoption of this Interim Ordinance.
Severability . If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Interim Ordinance or any part thereof is for any reason held to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Interim Ordinance or any part hereof. The City Council of the City of Jurupa Valley hereby declares that it would have passed each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid.
Publication and Posting . The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Interim Ordinance and shall cause the same or a summary thereof to be published and posted in the manner required by law.
INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE 2026-02 was adopted by the following vote:
AYES:COUNCILMEMBERS:Carmona, Sanchez, Barajas and Mayor BerksonNOES:COUNCILMEMBERS:NoneABSENT:COUNCILMEMBERS:SilvaABSTAIN:COUNCILMEMBERS:NoneThe ordinance is available for review in the City Clerk’s Office, 8930 Limonite Avenue, Jurupa Valley, California (951) 332-6464.
/s/ Maria Morris _____Maria Morris, City ClerkThe Press-EnterprisePublished: 2/27/26