A controversial luxury development proposal making its way through rounds of county-wide review in Riverside, California, stirred up major backlash from local eco-minded families.
To be named the Thermal Ranch Club, the project is set to span over 600 acres in the Eastern Coachella Valley's Thermal community, and it would include a range of luxury amenities, from private horse stables to a 150-room hotel.
It's a multimillion-dollar shockwave of affluent splendor only a few minutes from the nearest schools and mobile home communities.
Unfortunately, according to NBC Palm Springs, the finished project could prove more of a burden than a blessing for the Thermal area.
Critics have noted that the lack of proper communal regulations on manure and dust may give license for the Thermal Ranch Club to generate pollution unchecked in an already arid region where access to healthcare for many residents tends to be limited at best.
"While the environmental impact report submitted by developers addresses some public feedback, critics say it fails to fully mitigate potential harms to surrounding communities," NBC reported.
On top of the heavy potential for air and soil pollution, the project may become a considerable drain on the nearby Colorado River — a critical water source for the Coachella Valley population.
Local resident Ashley Vega told NBC that the Club would demand an estimated 570 million gallons of water annually, depriving both human communities and nearby ecosystems of essential sustenance.
What's more, with much of Southern California already inclined toward hot, dry weather, it's likely that further burdening the region's water sources will only intensify dust storms, heat waves, and wildfires.
"[They're] building a project that's not considering communities that are already here; it's not for communities that are already here, and ultimately, it's going to place burden on communities that are already here," Vega concluded.
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Riverside County supervisors ultimately approved the proposal in December, per NBC. County planning staff said they believed they had a plan in place to mitigate the environmental impacts, according to the Desert Sun.
Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who supported the project, said the county would take community concerns in consideration, particularly from low-income residents who worried they won't see economic benefits from the investment.
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