The moratorium was enacted to enable planning staff to study the emerging trend of applications for warehouse and distribution facilities in Vancouver

VANCOUVER – During their Dec. 12 meeting, members of the Vancouver City Council voted to declare an emergency to approve a six-month moratorium on new applications for large warehouse and distribution facilities in Vancouver.

The moratorium was enacted to enable planning staff to study the emerging trend of applications for warehouse and distribution facilities in Vancouver. These types of developments are currently allowed in Light and High Industrial zoning districts. These facilities typically have very low employment per acre ratio and are not listed as a priority sector in the Clark County Economic Development Plan, which the city of Vancouver adopted in 2017. This type of development, which typically involves a significant amount of large truck traffic, may also be inconsistent with the goals of the City’s newly adopted Climate Action Plan.

“The increase in the growth of e-commerce, and the increasing trend toward larger and larger distribution facilities is concerning particularly since these facilities consume vast quantities of limited industrially zoned land. The moratorium will allow for concerns related to long-term impacts from mega-warehouses to be studied, better understood and addressed as needed,” said Director of Community Development Chad Eiken. 

CBRE estimates that an additional 330 million square feet of warehouse space is needed in the United States to meet the e-commerce demand into 2025. On the I-5 corridor, Vancouver is a prime location for this type of development. Eight proposed large warehouse projects are currently in the development review process, which will consume 205 acres of industrial land. While the moratorium will not affect the projects that are already vested to current zoning regulations, national trends suggest that additional proposals can be expected. 

State law (RCW 36.70A.390 and RCW 35.63.200) allows for a six-month maximum moratorium on land uses, with one six-month extension if necessary. According to state law, a public hearing will be held no later than Feb. 6, 2023, or within 60 days of the moratorium’s adoption.

Information provided by city of Vancouver.