An environmental group is suing the Inland Valley Development Agency over a proposed infrastructure plan. The lawsuit claims the IVDA isn’t properly following environmental laws.
Last month, IDVA approved an environmental impact report for the Inland Valley Infrastructure Corridor. The report found the project has unavoidable transportation impacts.
The agency plans to work with Highland and San Bernardino to upgrade roads, sewage and utilities across an area just north of the airport.
Residents argue the plan is very similar to a scrapped project that would’ve demolished homes for warehouses. The Airport Gateway Specific Plan was indefinitely tabled by the IVDA in 2023, after concerns were raised about the 678 project that would have displaced about 1,500 residents in the area.
Some residents say they're worried the Inland Valley Infrastructure Corridor will too.
At the IVDA meeting on March 12, resident Ana Solorzano, who lives near the airport, says she doesn't want any more warehousing or projects that benefit the industry.
"My house is not for sale...and we don't want contamination," said Solorzano. "We don't want any more warehouses, but they're trying to get us to leave the community and close us in."
Attorney Kevin Bundy, who represents PC4EJ, says the project violates the California Environmental Quality Act by not properly disclosing the impacts of the plan.
"The big problem with environmental impact report is that the agency just ignored all of the impacts of the warehouse development that could follow from building these infrastructure components," said Bundy. "But the agency also failed to really assess the environmental impact of the infrastructure itself, of tearing up the roads and building the drainage channel and things like that."
Michael Burrows, who is IDVA’s CEO, said in an email the proposed corridor focuses only on infrastructure.
Burrows also says the IVDA plans to review the lawsuit once they receive official notice.
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. said at the March 12th meeting that the project doesn't have anything to do with land use.
"This has nothing to do with a warehouse or any land use, we don't deal with any land use," said Baca. "We're not approving any project or any project that's going on."
