There are three measures on the ballot for Banning voters to decide the fate of a large warehouse project. Earlier this year, residents gathered close to 8,000 signatures on three petitions against the warehouses. The city council then chose to let voters pick what happens.
The Banning City Council voted to approve the Sunset Crossroads project in March. The commercial and warehouse project, which is being proposed by Northpointe Development could bring a nearly 5 million square foot warehouse and 224,000 square feet of commercial retail space on 534 acres of land.
The council amended the city’s zoning map south of Interstate 10 near the Union Pacific Railroad to allow commercial and industrial development. They also amended land-uses south of West Westward Avenue and east of Sunset Avenue to allow for apartments and other “high density uses” on a portion of the site and approved the project itself.
Measures U,V and W will ask Banning voters to approve those three decisions to clear the way for Sunset Crossroads to build.
Supporters of the measures say Sunset Crossroads would create more than 700 permanent jobs, bring nearly $1 billion in private investment, fund $39 million in road improvements, create 98 acres of park space and generate nearly $3 million in annual revenue for police, fire, and emergency medical services. The developer is promoting Sam’s Club as a key economic anchor.
The measures are supported by Banning Mayor Cindy Barrington, the Banning Police Officers Association and CAL FIRE.
“Opponents falsely claim Sunset Crossroads will ‘sacrifice’ Banning's quality of life and future,” reads part of the supporting argument. “In truth, it includes strong neighborhood protections, such as barriers to keep heavy trucks off residential streets and strict operating requirements.”
Opponents of the Measures include resident Kathy Dale, a former city planning commissioner, and Councilwoman Sharon Flynn. Dale helped lead the referendum effort that gathered the required 1,900 signatures per measure to put the project before voters. Dale and members of the San Gorgonio Pass Alliance were able to gather about 7,500 signatures in total.
Dale argues the project would shift land planned for housing and instead increase truck traffic and air pollution.
“[Northpointe] is shoehorning warehouses in at a location where there are residential communities, established residential communities on each side,” said Dale. “There's an elementary school bus stop there. Now there's going to be 1,700 trucks a day lumbering past there. It's so disrespectful.”
Opponents like Dale also criticize the city’s 30-year development agreement with the Northpointe, arguing that it could limit how future city leaders could amend parts of the project. Dale said as planning commissioner, she recommended the council to deny the project because it was not compatible with the area’s designated land use.
”I'm as confident as I can be. I mean, obviously, this is a huge David and Goliath thing,” Dale said when asked about the changes of the three measures failing, “and the developer has got unlimited monetary resources available to them, and they're using them. But I believe in the good people of Banning.”
