Monster Warehouse Impact Hearing On RivCo Supes' Agenda

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA – An environmental impact report on a mega warehouse planned in Cherry Valley -- a prospect that has stirred passions throughout the unincorporated Riverside County community -- will be on the Board of Supervisors' agenda Tuesday, likely drawing a large number of dissidents.

A "re-circulated" draft EIR on the proposed San Gorgonio Crossing, originally called the Gateway Warehouse Project, will be the subject of an afternoon hearing during which the board will also consider whether to approve a general plan amendment to re-zone the rural space where the project would be centered.

The EIR was first issued in November 2016 but was sent back for revisions that Department of Planning officials said were needed to address modifications by the developer. The re-circulated draft EIR was completed over the summer.

The new 2,846-page document incorporates most of what was contained in the first -- and has generated more than 700 letters in opposition.

"Thousands of citizens, agencies and organizations have expressed opposition to this mega-warehouse," said Beaumont resident Elaine Morgan, head of the No Way Gateway community action group. "The warehouse would cause serious health and traffic safety issues and reduce residential property values."

The "high cube" project, sought by the Irvine-based Shopoff Group, would entail erecting two industrial buildings totaling 1.8 million square feet, with 306 truck bays, and occupying 140 acres just east of Interstate 10, north of Cherry Valley Boulevard and south of Condit Avenue.

The proposed facility was put on "fast-track" status in 2008, enabling the developer to bypass the Riverside County Planning Commission.

Proponents argue that it would serve a vital economic need, creating more than 500 permanent jobs on-site, as well as several hundred indirect support positions, once operational.

Supervisor Marion Ashley, whose Fifth District encompasses Cherry Valley, has been in favor of San Gorgonio Crossing and has tried to allay swelling criticism, appointing a citizens advisory committee to scrutinize the warehouse's pros and cons. However, the committee met only twice and recommended that the project not go forward.

The cities of Beaumont and Calimesa have both expressed opposition, citing traffic, noise, water use, pollution and other concerns. Multiple environmental groups, led by the Sierra Club, have also condemned it.

The club submitted a letter through its attorneys listing numerous objections, beginning with the inevitable degradation to air quality from the estimated 1,200 daily truck trips to and from the site, in addition to the idling, parking and docking time when tractor-trailers will be in motion, spewing pollutants.

"This project does not demonstrate consistency with regional plans aimed at reducing air quality emissions," according to the club's letter.

The organization further argued that there was no way to justify re- designating the project zone area as "light industrial," rather than retaining the "very light residential" designation, when four future housing developments are planned within a half-mile, and all existing structures in the vicinity, including retirement homes, have been authorized under a general plan that envisioned non-business uses.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District worried about the volume of pollution and greenhouse gases associated with the warehouse, saying in a letter to the Department of Planning that "operational emissions" would exceed "regional thresholds for reactive organic gases and nitrous oxides," all of which "would be significant and unavoidable after mitigation."

Several people living in the area, represented by the No Way Gateway committee, said that they suffer from respiratory illnesses that will be aggravated by the warehouse activity.

Multiple complainants submitted letters, attached to the EIR, asserting that the county was attempting to duck state law by "spot zoning" the project area, specifically carving out a 230-acre space strictly for the benefit of the developer.

According to the EIR authors, most environmental impacts other than air quality and traffic congestion can be substantially mitigated at the outset, and other challenges can be redressed over time.

The proponents stated that the "rural character" of the location would be largely preserved, thanks to limitations on the warehouse complex's height and the dedication of more than 80 acres for green space, nature trails and wildlife habitat.

If the board tentatively approves the draft EIR, a final EIR would have to be approved, requiring another hearing and vote before groundbreaking can occur.

RELATED: Mega-warehouse inappropriate for rural Cherry Valley

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