Use the Chino record as an example of separate decisions
The city’s September 2026 Dirac staff report describes a battery proposal beside the Southern California Edison Chino Substation, following a Planning Commission denial and an appeal. It discusses site approval, a special conditional use permit and a development agreement separately.
The item is marked Passed, while the linked meeting archive still labels its minutes Draft and does not provide finalized actions. Obtain the actual decision, conditions and executed agreement before relying on the outcome. This guide does not establish final permit terms or whether construction has begun.
For your property, ask for the application numbers and a short list of the decisions still outstanding. Put a responsible company and expected next step beside each one. If the team points to a different project as evidence that yours can move quickly, ask which approvals, property conditions and connection arrangements differ.
Reference: Chino: September 15, 2026 Dirac appeal staff report, File 26-476 · Chino: September 15 council meeting archive and minutes status
Write down what starts each payment
An offer may refer to an option payment, construction rent and operating rent. Ask the company to state the trigger for each in words you can follow. Does construction rent begin when a permit is issued, when the company enters the land, when demolition begins or at some later event?
Do the same for extensions. If an appeal or engineering review takes longer than expected, how much would the company pay to keep the property reserved? Identify the deadline, the notice required and whether the company can extend without your further agreement.
Compare the payment schedule with the work schedule. An owner should be able to see whether the property could be cleared or occupied while still receiving only an option payment. Ask your adviser to resolve that mismatch before signing.
Keep public benefit payments separate from payments to you. The Chino staff report describes proposed payments to the city tied to project milestones. Those are not a quoted land rent or a payment offered to other property owners.
Reference: Chino: September 15, 2026 Dirac appeal staff report, File 26-476
| Project event | Question about your agreement |
|---|---|
| Approval or appeal | Does a delay extend the reservation, and at what payment? |
| Demolition or early work | What payment and protection apply before the first work? |
| Construction | What dated event starts construction rent? |
| Operation | How is the rent trigger documented? |
Settle demolition and early access before work begins
If the property has a building, tenant or existing business use, ask whether demolition is part of the proposal. Who obtains consent, gives notices, removes contents and disconnects services? Which tasks would belong to the landowner, and which would the company perform at its expense?
A right to study the property should be clear about what it allows. Ask whether testing can disturb paving, landscaping or structures. For each activity, identify the location, notice, insurance, repair commitment and how the company will leave the area afterward.
Discuss the possibility that early work finishes but the battery project stops. Would the company restore the building, pay an agreed amount, repair the site for another use or do something else? A promise to remove battery equipment at the end of a lease may not address a building removed before construction.
Agree how existing occupants retain access during studies and construction. Show parking, deliveries, utility service and entrances on the drawing. If an occupied area cannot remain in use, settle its timing and costs before it becomes a project scheduling problem.
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landAsk what changes after the initial approval
Get the dated drawing and conditions that the company plans to build from. Identify who checks later engineering revisions against your land agreement. A changed entrance, equipment arrangement or electrical route can matter even if the battery footprint looks similar.
The Chino report explains that final equipment and engineering details would undergo further technical review. That is a reason to ask what remains unresolved when an early permission is described as approval. It is not evidence that another site meets the same conditions.
If the company changes equipment or battery chemistry, ask who reviews the change and whether it affects the land occupied, access, maintenance, insurance or emergency plan. Ask for the revised explanation before accepting a request for additional rights.
Write down how you receive material updates. You should know which company contact handles notices and where copies of approved drawings, relevant conditions and work schedules will be kept. Revisit that arrangement if the project changes owners.
Reference: Chino: September 15, 2026 Dirac appeal staff report, File 26-476
Do not turn substation proximity into a connection promise
Ask the developer to show the proposed connection route and the record supporting it. A nearby substation is a useful location fact, but it does not establish capacity for a new project or permission to cross another property.
Mark each road crossing and off-site parcel along the route. Who must obtain those rights? What happens to your agreement if a route is unavailable or the connection requires more land than initially discussed?
Compare the developer’s connection schedule with the last date it can hold your property. Ask what evidence it must provide before extending. You can distinguish an application, a study, an agreement and completed construction without having to interpret every technical calculation.
If the proposal includes an on-site substation, control building or other facilities, show them as part of the land request. Ask whether any shared equipment or road must remain after the batteries leave and who would maintain it then.
Ask about your Chino property
Use the form to send your name, email and phone, then the location. California and San Bernardino County are starting selections you can correct. Acreage and a parcel number are optional.
Mention any existing building, business tenant, access concern or offer already received. If a company has proposed early demolition, explain that timing. Start with the details you know; you do not need completed engineering plans to inquire.
Sunland can review what you send and may follow up. An inquiry does not authorize studies, demolition, construction or a lease. The proposal would still need its own property, permitting, connection and commercial review.
Questions landowners ask
Does the Dirac record establish that my Chino property qualifies?
No. It concerns a named proposal. Establish the route and conditions for your actual parcel, use, design and connection.
Does a development agreement start my land rent?
Check your private agreement. Identify its payment triggers explicitly; public project milestones and payments to the city do not automatically set your rent.
Can demolition begin during an option period?
Ask your adviser to establish exactly what the signed rights permit and what payment, consent, repair and termination terms apply before allowing work.
Is being beside a substation enough?
No connection is established by proximity alone. Ask for the project-specific connection record, route and rights needed to reach it.
Sources & further reading
Sources checked 2026-10-07. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.