San Bernardino County leaders signed off on a massive Bloomington warehouse proposal, despite objections from residents who say the neighborhood has already taken on more than its share of the region's warehouse growth.
After the votes, some people in the crowd shouted "Shame!" as the county cleared 2.1 million more square feet of warehouse development in a rural area where residents cite pollution, truck trips, and displacement as ongoing concerns.
Here's what to know
The Board of Supervisors first approved an updated environmental review for the Bloomington Park Specific Plan, 4-0, with Supervisor Paul Cook abstaining. The board later unanimously approved the associated permits, 5-0.
According to Redlands Daily Facts, the proposal calls for three warehouses, from 383,000 square feet to 1 million square feet, as well as space for truck-trailer parking.
San Bernardino County revisited the project after a 2024 ruling from a San Bernardino Superior Court judge ordered more work on environmental concerns, including air quality. Supervisors had originally approved the plan in 2022 before opponents sued.
Opponents, including local residents and environmental justice groups, said the development would erode Bloomington's rural identity and add to health dangers in the community.
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Maria Morales, a resident who spoke through a translator, per Redlands Daily Facts, told supervisors, "I'm not against progress. I'm against pollution. … I ask that you build schools, that you build universities, that you build things that are beneficial for us. … Every day, we're descending further into poverty."
Project backers, among them union workers, said the development could create dependable employment locally. David Moore of Laborers' International Union of North America said the careers help workers buy homes, support their children, and retire with dignity, per Redlands Daily Facts.
More background
Bloomington is a largely Latino, working-class community of roughly 23,000 south of the 10 Freeway, between Fontana and Rialto.
Like many Inland Empire communities, Bloomington has watched warehouses spread across the region as the area has become a logistics hub.
Opponents say the added diesel truck activity would worsen bad air conditions, and families worry children nearby would face the fallout.
The revised environmental impact report found that the project would have "significant and unavoidable" air quality impacts that surpassed South Coast Air Quality Management District thresholds.
The development has also been tied to Bloomington home demolitions. A county report says separate land could be rezoned for 480 housing units to make up for those losses, but opponents say replacing homes with warehouses pushes the community even further from a healthier, more stable future.
The project's location near Walter Zimmerman Elementary School has intensified worries about student safety and pollution exposure.
What's being done?
Some mitigation measures are attached to the project.
Supervisors barred data center construction on the site after public concern, and San Bernardino County administrators cited planned stormwater drainage work and a sustainability pledge that all of the project's electricity demand would come from renewable power.
San Bernardino County administrators also said the development could generate more than 2,700 jobs and $11.6 million a year for county coffers.
BGRE, formerly known as Brookfield Properties, also reached an agreement with the Colton Joint Unified School District that leaves Zimmerman Elementary where it is and includes $27 million plus what the district described as "legally enforceable" safety protections.
Andrea Vidaurre, co-founder of the San Bernardino-based People's Collective for Environmental Justice, called the project "an example of environmental racism and a sad attempt by the county and the leadership to bring in funds," per Redlands Daily Facts, and the group said after the vote that it would "keep fighting these warehouse complexes until our community is protected."
Vidaurre told supervisors, "You all have a responsibility to offer something in Bloomington better than warehousing."
Morales added, "I have a loved one who's suffering and fighting for her life due to cancer. On behalf of her and others, I ask that you leave Bloomington be."
Where can I learn more?
Bloomington isn't the only community pushing back on major logistics and industrial projects. These stories look at similar fights over Amazon facilities, contested data centers, and a pollution-linked permit battle.
• In Killingly, Connecticut, residents packed meetings to oppose Amazon's 500-acre mega-warehouse proposal.
• Near Cincinnati, neighbors warned a 24/7 Amazon refueling center would upend daily life.
• In Socorro, New Mexico, residents took over a town hall over a 10,000-acre data center plan.
• In Texas, residents rallied against a 500-acre data center over water and noise fears.
• In Louisiana, a court upheld permits for Formosa's pollution-linked chemical complex despite residents' warnings.
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