The Antelope Valley Times

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Trader Joe’s distribution facility planned for Palmdale

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[Elevation rendering via city of Palmdale.]
Trader Joe’s is building a 1.03 million-square-foot distribution facility in Palmdale that is expected to bring 800 to 1,000 jobs, city officials announced on Tuesday, June 20.

“We are thrilled that Trader Joe’s has selected Palmdale as a destination to expand their business with their new food assembly and distribution facility,” Palmdale Mayor Laura Bettencourt said in a news release. “The project aligns with the city’s commitment to economic vitality, innovation and job creation and catalyzes additional industrial development in Palmdale.”

Construction for the new facility — located on a 104-acre site at the southeast corner of Avenue M and 10th Street West — will commence this year with anticipated completion in late 2024. Once completed, the facility will consist of three buildings — an 827,000-square-foot Hub building, a 211,000-square-foot freezer building, and a 6,000-square-foot accessory building.

City officials said “the facility will offer 800-1,000 employment opportunities from various skill levels, from entry-level to management. The project is centrally located for Palmdale and Antelope Valley residents, benefitting residents across the city,” according to the news release.

“Our region currently has over 70,000 commuters, so local job creation at the food and distribution facility will have a tremendous impact on the lives of those that may no longer need to commute,” said Palmdale Councilmember Austin Bishop. “The idea of providing opportunities for our residents to work closer to home and spend less time commuting so they can free up their time to spend with family contributes to the overall well-being of our community.”

As part of the entitlement process, the city of Palmdale included several conditions of approval that will improve safety and access for all residents along the two major city corridors, such as road improvements and the widening of Avenue M and 10th Street West; construction of sidewalk, curb and gutter; installation of a 12-foot Class I bike path along Avenue M and 10th Street West; and the installation of traffic signals at State Route 14 and Avenue M off ramps.

The project also includes establishing an onsite 12.21-acre Joshua tree preservation area. Placards will be placed at various locations surrounding the Joshua Tree Preservation Area to identify western Joshua trees and present information concerning the importance of their conservation.

[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]

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63 comments for "Trader Joe’s distribution facility planned for Palmdale"

  2. I hope they only hired locals…will be nice to apply for a job that pays decent wages.

  3. If you build this there, they need to put in another bridge over the freeway to make it four lanes. Ave M is already packed with cars morning and evening and a signal light is not the answer.

  4. Well done Palmdale! Under Ledford there was so much growth. Now with Bettencourt as mayor, the growth continues. She is the only person on Palmdale council not funded by Wrecks and the Fern Street Mafia. Maybe there is hope for Palmdale yet.

      • What bribes did Ledford accept? I’m sure the DA would like to know so they can charge him. After Rex’s witch hunt, all they got him was on purgery. Nothing to do with bribes. Please share so we can put Ledford in jail.

        • He was bribed $20k from the IBEW and he took the money. In return he promised the IBEW City of Palmdale would only hire union contractors.

          • Mark, come forward with your evidence and let’s put Ledford in jail. Or do you have him confused with another local mayor who is in bed with IBEW?

    • Mayor Ledford lobbied ompanies and got results like the Palmdale Trader Joe’s and the High Speed Rail station in Palmdale for those of you with short or no memories.

      Did Hofbauer produce any results that weren’t already in the pipeline when he took over?

      • Realistically, nothing happens that fast. Anything that was completed during Hofbauer’s short tenure would have been “in the pipeline.” The question is whether he got anything started during his term; and other than selling out to the Lancaster power boys the answer is probably no.

  5. I’d love to work closer to home… but there just isn’t enough money to feed this tiger out there. The jobs DON’T pay enough. When I first moved to the AV (which wasn’t long ago), water was like $18 a month and my elec bill was about $30 a month. The affordability of living in the AV is LONG GONE. And Measure AV is sucking people dry as well. For what? To wrap electrical boxes with flower paper. What a waste of my money.

    • Didn’t they use essential funds to put that lib stick on a pig.. oops I mean flowers on electrical boxes?

      • Ur an idiot. Parris is Republican as they come. But go ahead and use whatever fits your personal agenda.

        • Parris runs as a Republican, but he is neither a Republican or Democrat. He tries to be a law and order guy uses the race card to appease the far right (look what he did to Johnathan Ervin), and he comes off as a greenie with his solar crap and pot farms to throw some bones to the left. Parris is all about Parris. It’s about who he can control and how much money he can make.

          If there was an Idiot Party, he would be the poster child.

        • LOL…he “misinterpreted”? You just admitted that your spellcheck changed your post and you failed to catch it and edit. Sounds like a you problem, not a Larry problem.

          • If you couldn’t see what everybody else saw, sorry for you, you must be illiterate,

            ‘Lib stick on a pig’???

            And it was t me who wrote it either.

          • Out from under her rock again copying and pasting with no attribution. Typical for the braindead.

          • LOL…if you are going to call me illiterate you better get yourself more lipstick.

        • Hey Larry, ever have an original thought in your head? Seems you just make derogatory comments on other peoples’ opinions. You’re a gutless and petty little weenie.

          • @Eyes On Larry, We’re Watching

            “You’re a gutless and petty little weenie.” you said but it sounds just like you. What’s your naem, gutless?

          • Original thought??? From the guy who has posted tge same comment about me pushing 10 times hoping, almost begging for some sort or a comment of positive reinforcement behind it that agrees with you. But it hasn’t happened, your comment towards me is stale and old by now. U received no conformation therefore u lose. Please try to do better next time. Thanks,
            Larrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy

    • They got that idea from Lancaster. While crime rises, homelessness grows, roads suck and blight rules in Lancaster, they think that painting roads black and putting wraps on electric boxes makes a great community. Right now, these are dark days for Palmdale. It’s dark for the AV too with Rex at the helm.

  6. Let’s back up. Trader Joe’s is owned by someone else. Aldi’s? Is the AV going to look like the Inland Empire with warehouse galore? There are a slew of warehouse and trucks causing congestion in the various cities. I am not accusing of anyone of being a moron, but is it really smart to put this up on the connector road between two cities? I guess where is money involved, there is a way!

    • that’s a legitimate concern.

      without corresponding improvement to hwy 14 by the state of california, the commute – for those who still have to do it – is likely to get worse if the trader joe’s distribution and logistics are added in bulk to the traffic on that hwy.

      that impacts not only the av commuters, but all those who add to vehicular traffic downline (Acton, Saugus, Newhall, etc.)

      TJ’s COULD alter their logistics planning to take place during off hours (say, btw 11pm and 4 am) but that may or may not fly with their workforce and with management plans.

      still, 800-100 jobs….that’s sweet. I know a man who started with them when they were still Pronto market in Culver City. It’s a marvelous company and Joe Coulombe was a very nice guy. I personally ran into him in the Pasadena store when I was around 9. I went in there for a drink of water on a hot July day and he had the deli make a sandwich – for free.

    • Someone on here mentioned that the new facility will cuase congestion of traffic and bla bla bla. Bro this desert needs new life. It’s boring and dry theres no money or industry here. Look at Riverside, Bakersfield, Anaheim. They aint complaining and these people have money to spend on the weekends. And they need a trader Joes in Lancaster.

      • Lancaster is desert. Even though property is cheeaper there, Palmdale is more desirable.

        Lancaster is a mess. The blvd is a nothing burger w/o fries.

        The Cineplex is out in the middle of nowhere.

        The Lancaster Planning department seems to exist just for the Good ol’ Boys.

        Frank Rizzo loves Rex. That’s all you need to know why Lancaster doesn’t work.

        • Lancaster. Drive down Ave I and it’s scary. Parts of K near Division look abandoned. The politics at City Hall are as backwoods as any small town in the deep South. Miles of bike lanes with no bikes. Homeless people everywhere.

          No wonder places like Trader Joe’s won’t come here.

          Lancaster. The land that time forgot.

      • I’m so glad that things are being build, Palmdale needs growth,we need it. Av needs to progress just like other cities. Riverside has become beautiful place and they are still building.

      • I’m sorry you are living in a shell. You are uneducated and placated by plastics, the internet and fast food restaurants. The new Soma for our Brave New World. You need to look around and see what’s really happening to our world!

        • Lisa Craft, I see you’ve socially declined to the point of calling strangers uneducated on the internet. You use to be better than that.

    • Not to worry. Wrecks is bringing in a slew of pot grow farms. First is was a Communist Chinese factory, and now it’s pot. What could possibly go wrong?

      • We continue to sacrifice human health and our environment for short term economic benefits. How much more emissions will we have? How much Wildlife will be killed?
        And 1000 jobs? And how much more ecological destruction will be needed for the remaining 69,000 roadrunners? The warehouse will survive tops 50 years but the Joshua trees have been here over 500 years! We’re being fooled again! I can’t breathe! And those in power will have money to live in clean places with no pollution.
        We’re a piss pot here in AV!

    • And how much more ecological destruction will it take to employ the remaining 69,000 Roadrunners
      that won’t get a job here? Once again, human health and the environment are being sacrificed for short term economic benefit for the few. The Joshua Trees there are about 400 years old. We’re turning into a piss pot for the rich!

      • The Mojave National Preserve is 1.6 million acres. There are more opportunities to set aside land for conservation. Using land in Palmdale where there are already people and development is wise.

    • Can we get a Trader Joe’s closer to my house? The existing one is over a mile away.

    • One quick drive through Lancaster and no way in h3ll will Trader Joe’s open a store there. On Avenue I? The BLVD? Division Street?

    • Oh, you know Rex all too well. I’m surprised he hasn’t shut down this site by now.

    • It says southeast side of M, that makes it Palmdale.
      I thought that was where Amazon was going to build their warehouse.

      • The Amazon warehouse is located near the Antelope Valley Auto Mall in Palmdale. Next day delivery is so fine.

    • Don’t worry. His well financed Palmdale city council will make sure Lancaster gets a cut. They’ve sent millions already.

  10. Laura Bettencourt is NOT a duly elected mayor. They pick ping pong balls to rotate the mayor position.

    • They do the same thing in Santa Clarita and other cities. I don’t like it. But here in Lancaster, we get to vote for mayor and we’ve been stuck with a loon who doesn’t even live here. If we could rotate it wouldn’t help us much since the entire council is made up of puppets. We still don’t have representation in East Lancaster.

      • Oh, so Mayor Rex Parris does not live in Lancaster, CA? Or within the Antelope Valley in general, huh?
        Someone had recently told me that he apparently resides in Orange County somewhere. So I guess that could possibly be true, haha.

        • Parris owns a home in Lancaster and a 6.5 million dollar mansion in Laguna. Where do you think he lives? His wife won’t visit the BLVD because of the riff raff. So, again, where you you think he lives?

        • He owns a home in Lancaster. He has a 6.5 million dollar mansion in Laguna. His wife hates the BLVD. Where do you think he lives? Where would YOU live?

    • The “mayor” has no more authority than any other council member. It’s just a ceremonial position that designates who presides over council meetings.

      • Tim, that is true in Palmdale, but not so in Lancaster. In Lancaster, the mayor has complete control over the council, all the commissions, the city of Palmdale, AVTA, Palmdale and Lancaster School Districts, AVC, AV Hospital, Palmdale Water District, and AVEK. It’s a lot of responsibility for one person, especially someone who doesn’t live here. Maybe this is why the AV is such a mess.

          • Right on Tim. In Palmdale the mayor has no more power than any other councilman or councilwoman. Right now in Palmdale, they have no power other than what Rex and Marv tell them to do. It is sad and pathetic.