Overview: Residents of Riverside, California, have defeated a proposed massive warehouse project near the Mission Grove and Orangecrest neighborhoods in a unanimous vote. The project, which would have covered up to 3 million square feet of industrial space, was opposed by residents due to concerns about traffic, pollution, and the long-term environmental impact of large-scale industrial development. The March Joint Powers Authority commissioners sided with residents, and the project’s future now lies with the County of Riverside, where residents will be asked to be involved in future planning for the site.
Aryana Noroozi
In a surprising upset against powerful development interests, a proposed industrial warehouse project near Riverside’s Mission Grove and Orangecrest neighborhoods was unanimously rejected on May 12, by the March Joint Powers Authority (JPA).
The “West Campus Upper Plateau” project would have paved the way for up to three million square feet of industrial space, including mega-warehouses, on a stretch of land south of Alessandro Boulevard, west of Interstate 215, and north of Orange Terrace Parkway. Despite revisions to scale down the project and rebrand it as the “March Innovation Hub,” residents and community groups remained staunchly opposed.
The initial version of the project was put on hold in June 2024, after a contentious meeting drew over 500 opponents. Since then, the developer downsized the proposal and launched an aggressive public relations campaign that included text messages, mailers, and paid canvassers aimed to sway public opinion.
Jen Larratt-Smith, chair of Riverside Neighbors Opposing Warehouses (R-NOW), a grassroots group formed in opposition to the project three years ago, called the outcome a “victory for local democracy.”
“The commissioners and our community recognized this was basically the same mega-warehouse project with a few bells and whistles,” said Larratt-Smith in a statement. “We were told this was a ‘done deal,’ but our neighbors stood up and proved otherwise.”
During a meeting in March, over 300 people packed into the Riverside County Board of Supervisors chambers for the vote, with another hundred watching from the lobby. Over 100 speakers weighed in, including labor unions and business groups in favor of the development, but the majority spoke against it.
Despite those efforts, the March JPA commissioners sided with residents who raised concerns about traffic, pollution, and the long-term environmental impact of large-scale industrial development in such close proximity to residential areas.
Formed in the 1990s to oversee redevelopment of land once part of the downsized March Air Force Base, the March JPA’s land use authority is scheduled to transfer to the County of Riverside on July 1, 2025.
Larratt-Smith stated her group plans to remain engaged as decisions about the site’s future move to county officials.
“We will ask the Board of Supervisors to include the community in any future planning for this rare and valuable open space,” she stated. “This vote was a major step, but the work of protecting our neighborhoods isn’t over.”