Beaumont Says No To Massive Industrial Complex Off I-10

BEAUMONT, CA — A massive warehouse project proposed for Beaumont was unanimously halted by City Council Tuesday night.

For about five hours, the council heard from staff, the developer, local residents and others about the proposed Summit Station industrial project that was slated for approximately 200 acres along the south side of Cherry Valley Boulevard, east of Interstate 10.

With a 4-0 vote that came in the sixth hour of Tuesday's meeting, the councilmembers denied all action items attached to the project, including an environmental assessment to change the property's zoning from residential to commercial, industrial and open space.

Mayor Lloyd White recused himself from the public hearing and vote because he lives within 500 feet of the project site.

In late June, the Beaumont Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend that City Council deny the project.

While most people who turned out to speak about the project Tuesday night were opposed to it, the city received an overwhelming number of written and emailed comments in favor of the development.

The Summit Station project would have brought approximately 2.5 million square feet of industrial/warehousing space, 50,000 square feet of office space, and 150,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the applicant Exeter Cherry Valley Land LLC.

As part of the development, Exeter promised a $30 million investment in Beaumont traffic improvements, including the Interstate 10/Cherry Valley Boulevard interchange, and up to a $10 million investment for the buildout of a 123-acre regional park on the Danny Thomas Ranch property. Funding for the promises was not solidified.

Exeter also estimated that the city's general fund would see $1.33 million annually as a result of the project, and transient occupancy tax from a four-story hotel planned for Summit Station would generate another $562,100 for city coffers.

The property, which falls under the Sunny Cal Specific Plan, is the site of a former poultry ranch. In 2007 and again in 2014 the city approved housing for the site — but residential development never started.

Tuesday night's rejection of the current Summit Station proposal comes as more Inland Empire cities place moratoriums on logistics projects that critics argue bring pollution and traffic to communities.

There are legitimate regional environmental concerns that should be further analyzed before considering the project, said Mayor Pro Tem Julio Martinez III, whose background is in biology.

The near-term benefits of logistics projects such as Summit Station are jobs, but they mostly low-paying opportunities, Martinez said.

The councilmembers left the door open for the project applicant to bring the proposal back in another iteration.

Councilmember David Fenn called the proposal "a good project in a bad place."