The Los Angeles Harbor Commission this month approved the development of a truck staging lot in Wilmington, advancing a controversial project near the Port of Los Angeles.

The staging lot sits on 18-plus acres of vacant land next to Interstate 110, south of Harry Bridges Boulevard. It would contain 393 parking stalls.

The aim is to reduce congestion caused by trucks waiting on city streets for their turn to pick up cargo from the docks.

“For too long, truck activity has spilled onto streets throughout the Harbor Area,” Mike Tunney, vice president of development at project developer Howard Industrial Partners of Orange. “This facility helps move that activity into a controlled, professionally managed industrial location where it belongs.”

Scaled back

The project is a scaled-down version of a previous proposal that also would have included space for stacking cargo containers and maintenance and fueling facilities for the trucks. That plan drew intense opposition from neighbors and was scrapped. Project proponents returned with this narrower plan that just has parking stalls.

In further concessions to the community, proponents agreed to limit truck parking to 24 hours. They will also place the main entry and exit points with direct access to the 110 freeway and build fencing as both a site and noise buffer from adjacent residential and commercial areas.

Multiple functions

The principal purpose of the lot will be to serve as a staging area for trucks as they wait to be called to specific terminals for their cargo pickups. Occasionally, truck drivers might also drop off empty containers at various terminals.

However, drivers can also drop off containers for chassis loading or pick up those waiting for the next truck.

This activity would be somewhat limited as any long-term stacking of containers would be prohibited.

The project next goes to the California Coastal Commission for its approval. If everything goes according to plan, the staging lot could be in full operation by the end of 2028.