CAJA News and Happenings

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CITY OF TORRANCE & CAJA Working Together

March 09, 2026Andrea Schultz

CAJA is pleased to share that our team has been added to the City of Torrance’s list of qualified environmental consultants. This designation allows us to directly support property owners, developers, and project teams working within Torrance with trusted environmental review and compliance services.

Early Environmental Strategy

can reduce risk, avoid surprises, and keep projects on schedule

For clients with projects in Torrance, California, this means smoother coordination with the City and a team experienced in CEQA compliance in Torrance and NEPA environmental review. Whether you’re evaluating a potential acquisition, moving through entitlements, or planning a redevelopment, early environmental strategy can reduce risk, avoid surprises, and keep projects on schedule.

CAJA

**Regularly supports development and redevelopment projects throughout the South Bay**

As an experienced Torrance CEQA consultant, CAJA team understands local agency expectations, documentation standards, and review timelines. We regularly support development and redevelopment projects throughout the South Bay with:

CEQA compliance and documentation in Torrance
NEPA environmental review and federal coordination
Initial Studies, ND/MNDs, and Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs)
Environmental due diligence for acquisitions and financing
Site constraint and feasibility analysis
Mitigation monitoring and reporting programs

If you have property in Torrance or are seeking a qualified CEQA consultant in Torrance, we welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can support your project. Contact one of our Project Managers below or reach out through our website to learn more about how CAJA can support your South Bay projects!

CAJA Environmental Services, LLC
CAJA’s Leadership Team

Chris Joseph | chris@ceqa-nepa.com
Stacie Henderson | stacie@ceqa-nepa.com
Kerrie Nicholson | kerrie@ceqa-nepa.com
Andrea Schultz | andrea@ceqa-nepa.com

Storage Developments Streamlined: Expert CEQA Support

August 05, 2025Andrea Schultz

Navigating CEQA can slow down even the most straightforward self-storage project — but it doesn’t have to. At CAJA Environmental Services, we specialize in CEQA compliance for self-storage developments, delivering fast, accurate, and defensible environmental documents that keep your project moving.

Our team knows how to anticipate common hurdles like traffic, air quality, land use, and aesthetics; delivering clear, defensible documents that keep your entitlements on track and your timeline intact. We’ve supported developers on a variety of storage projects in the region, from urban infill conversions to ground-up facilities in transitional industrial zones.

Whether your site needs a Categorical Exemption, Mitigated Negative Declaration, or Environmental Impact Report, we bring deep experience and a hands-on approach to every phase. We work closely with your design, legal, and permitting teams to move your project forward efficiently.

Here are several common CEQA issues that can arise with self-storage projects, especially in urban or transitioning industrial areas:

Air Quality and GHG Emissions

Construction emissions (e.g., diesel equipment, grading).
Vehicle trips from customers and staff may contribute to regional emissions.
Energy use and long-term operational emissions for climate-controlled storage.

Traffic and Circulation

While trip generation is typically low, site access, turning movements, or truck circulation near residential areas can trigger concerns.
Conflicts at driveway entries or near signalized intersections.

Land Use Compatibility

Storage uses in proximity to residential, school, or retail zones may raise noise, aesthetic, or community character concerns.
Potential inconsistency with General Plans or zoning overlays.

Noise

Construction noise impacts in urban infill sites.
Access or truck deliveries can raise operational noise concerns, especially near sensitive receptors.

Hazards and Hazardous Materials

If site has prior industrial use, Phase I/II assessments may identify potential contamination or require mitigation.

Aesthetics

Large, blank facades, security fencing, and lighting may draw visual impact scrutiny, especially on prominent corridors.

CAJA Environmental Services has extensive experience with CEQA compliance for self-storage projects. Representative projects include:

**Public Storage Santa Fe Springs Project:** CAJA prepared a Categorical Exemption for Public Storage in the City of Santa Fe Springs. The Project would remove the existing building and construct a three-story, self-storage building of approximately 215,664 square feet. Issues that were analyzed included air quality, noise and vibration, and vehicle trip generation.

**Playa Vista Public Storage Redevelopment Project:** CAJA prepared an IS/MND for Public Storage in the City of Los Angeles’ Playa Vista neighborhood. The Project would construct a new mixed-use building with approximately 82,324 square feet of floor area including 3,959 square feet of retail uses and 78,365 square feet of mini-warehouse uses. Issues that were analyzed included air quality, land use consistency, noise and vibration, and vehicle trip generation.

**Oxnard Project:** CAJA prepared a Categorical Exemption for Self-Storage in the City of Los Angeles’ Encino neighborhood. The Project would demolish a small portion of the existing building, and remodel the interior, as well as expand the building footprint by enclosing the courtyard on the east side of the Site and constructing a three-story addition on the south side of the Site, for a total of approximately 97,846 net square-feet in size. Issues that were analyzed included air quality, land use consistency, noise and vibration, and vehicle trip generation.

**Alhambra Storage Project:** CAJA prepared a Categorical Exemption for Self-Storage in the City of Alhambra. The Project would construct a four-story, self-storage building of approximately 155,140 square feet. Issues that were analyzed included air quality, geotechnical considerations, land use consistency, hazardous materials, noise, and vehicle trip generation.

**Self-Storage Project.** CAJA is in the process of preparing an IS/MND for Self-Storage, located in the City of Los Angeles’ Atwater Village neighborhood. The Project would construct a three-story self-storage warehouse building of approximately 179,000 square feet. Issues to be analyzed included air quality, land use consistency, noise, and vehicle trip generation.

Major CEQA Reform Now in Effect

July 07, 2025Andrea Schultz

Your project may now be CEQA-exempt

Let’s Talk

Most Meaningful CEQA Overhaul
in Over 50 Years

AB 130 and SB 131, enacted via the 2025–26 budget on June 30, 2025, represent the broadest CEQA reform ever for housing and infrastructure:

AB 130 creates a statutory exemption for urban infill housing up to 20 acres, bypassing CEQA review entirely
SB 131 caps review for “near‑miss” projects—only issues preventing exemption need be studied

AB 130 and SB 131 fundamentally reduce the scope and power of CEQA for infill housing projects, eliminating the need for environmental review for qualifying urban housing developments (AB 130) and dramatically limiting the scope of CEQA analysis for near-qualifying projects (SB 131). Together, they shift CEQA from a tool that could delay or kill infill housing into a streamlined process with clear rules, fast timelines, and legal protections against abuse, removing one of the biggest barriers to housing production in California.

Infill Housing Projects

AB 130 is a game-changer for urban infill housing. Effective June  30, 2025, it exempts qualifying “housing-rich” projects from all CEQA review—no EIR or MND—if they meet specific criteria:

Up to 20 acres (5 acres under builder’s remedy)
In previously developed or urban-adjacent areas
Zoning- and density-compliant
Not historic, sensitive, or transient use sites
Complete Tribal consultation and, if needed, remediation
Complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and, if needed, remediation
SB 35-compliant siting and proximity to freeway rules apply

Unlike previous exemptions, this one is statutory and immune to litigation under “unusual circumstances.” Projects under 85 feet face no affordability or labor mandates.

Paired with SB 131

This new law narrows CEQA analysis to just the single issue that triggers review (e.g., a historic structure), streamlining infrastructure projects even further.

Why It Matters

Applies to new and pending projects
Cities must act within 30 days post-tribal consultation
Cuts months (or years) off the approval timeline

How CAJA Environmental Services can help

Determine exemption eligibility
Convert in-process CEQA reviews
Prepare zoning and exemption documentation
Guide Tribal consultation and minimize legal exposure

We’re actively tracking guidance from state and local agencies. Contact CAJA Environmental Services to get your project moving—faster and smarter.

We can help developers and cities navigate the new rules with fast, defensible eligibility screenings, targeted documentation, and backup strategies if a project doesn't fully qualify. If you're planning a residential or mixed-use project in an urban area, now is the time to find out if AB 130 or SB 131 can move you straight to approval.

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