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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MAY 2022 | 5 By Jerry Monahan, Board President, and Laurie Larson, Chair of Communications Board at Four Seasons Beaumont - Printed in the May 2022 Four Seasons Breeze Magazine and reprinted with permission The Pass Action Group (PAG) requested a Town Hall meeting be arranged at Four Seasons to update our residents on the progress of the opposition to the warehouse. Board director Gracy Luna, a member of the Pass Action Group Committee, hosted the April 7 meeting in The Four Seasons Lodge Ballroom. The PAG's presentation here was attended by over 100 residents who asked many questions about the warehouse and the effects it would have on the surrounding communities. The traffic that is currently heavy on Highland Springs in the area of First and Second Streets all the way to Interstate 10 can only get worse with the anticipation of possibly 100 trucks daily going back and forth. No one can say for sure how many trucks there may be because allegedly, at this time, there is no tenant for this warehouse. We were told the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) was done during the time the COVID-19 pandemic mandated stay-at-home orders by the California Department of Health be put in place. That EIR was favorable to the warehouse going forward because no real traffic problems were cited. Originally, the hours covered were 7 am to 10 pm daily, but now it is anticipated the warehouse activities will be 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would seem that a new EIR is in order to more accurately reflect what the traffic is now that the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions to stay at home have been lifted. Many of the questions asked by our residents were answered by the PAG members during the presentation. One question that came up was, "Were the residents of The Lakes, who live very close to the project, or the management of The Lakes contacted during the process as required?" The answer was that the notification had not been given. The Lakes is a care facility and many of the senior residents living there will be vulnerable to the pollution from the trucks as well as the noise of the trucks during the hours of operation. The PAG legal team has been in negotiation with the city of Banning and the developer to see if a settlement can be reached. If a settlement is not possible, then legal action will continue through the court system. One legislative item under consideration is AB 2840 which may impact the warehouse project. It's currently in committee and will go to the California Assembly; if passed, it will move to the California Senate. AB 2840 deals with warehouses over 100,000 square feet, and if approved, would affect the approval of the warehouse and its effects on the quality of life of residents in areas of warehouses in general. Currently, Banning has other warehouse projects east of Sunset which would add approximately five million square feet of warehouse space to the area. The PAG said that their opposition to the warehouse project, including the expense of paying the legal team, will be expensive. Fundraising is an important part of the process so the fight against the Banning City Council and the developer of this project can continue. The PAG Steering Committee has expressed a sincere thank you for all the support received from Four Seasons, Sun Lakes, and the surrounding communities. If you need to contact Randy Robbins directly, you can reach him at randyLLump@yahoo.com. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT RESULTS SKEWED… SETTLEMENT SOUGHT BUT MORE FUNDS NEEDED TO FIGHT Stop the warehouse! Please contribute at www.givebutter.com/passactiongroupbanning

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