E-commerce facility proposed near Fresno grows to ‘59 football fields.’ Here’s what we know
This story is part of the Central Valley News Collaborative — a bilingual, community journalism project funded by the Central Valley Community Foundation and with technology and training support from Microsoft Corp. The collaboration includes The Fresno Bee, Valley Public Radio, Vida en el Valle, Radio Bilingüe and the Institute for Media & Public Trust at Fresno State.
An industrial e-commerce facility proposed for a massive plot of unincorporated land just outside of the city of Fresno has grown bigger. While the project is expected to bring more than 1,800 jobs to the region, advocates say the proposed facility would increase pollution and lead to more health problems in nearby communities.
The proposed site of the five-story e-commerce storage and distribution facility, called the Project Riverwood Fulfillment Center, increased from 2.9 million square feet to approximately 3.4 million square feet, Jamie Bax, the deputy director of community and economic development-planning at Madera County, told The Bee last week. There are no plans to change the project’s location or site operations.
“The amended application modifies certain aspects of the site plan and building design,” said Bax in a statement.
Real estate company Seefried Industrial Properties submitted the new plans for expansion in February. The project would be located northeast of Highway 99 and south of Avenue 7 on a 122-acre site in Madera County, near the border with Fresno County. It remains unclear which company would be operating the facility. Seefried Industrial Properties did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Planning for the project remains in the initial phases. County officials are in the midst of preparing a revised environmental impact report, Bax said. The report will assess how the proposed development could impact air quality, pollution and traffic, and if it might create other potential hazards for neighboring residents. The environmental review process will take an estimated six to eight months.
“County decision-makers will not consider approval of the project until the environmental review process is completed,” Bax added.
County officials have not yet drafted a fiscal analysis for the project or determined how much tax revenue it will generate.
The initial plan for the project, which was released this past October, included 325 trailer stalls, 1,800 parking stalls, stormwater collection, fire suppression, an onsite wastewater treatment plant and infrastructure improvements, according to planning documents. Those plans estimated the development would also create approximately 1,874 new jobs. While it remains unclear if the expansion of the project will increase the number of jobs, some proponents say the new scope could further boost the economy.
“Generally, when (a project) increases in size, it will have some impact on job creation as well,” said Bobby Kahn, executive director of the Madera County Economic Development Commission. “The central San Joaquin Valley is one of the poorest regions in the nation. There is still a large need for employment. These larger companies pay a living wage, they pay benefits and will allow people to improve their standard of living.”
Kahn said the project’s location is a “win-win” for the developer and Madera and Fresno County residents alike because of its proximity to Highway 99. He said e-commerce and distribution centers “are only going to grow” and should be sited near highways to avoid pollution and air quality concerns in more densely populated areas.
“If I was an advocate for clean communities, I would be advocating for this location because there will be no truck traffic that impacts any neighborhoods,” he said. “Trucks will not travel anywhere near any residential communities. They’re going to be on the freeway.”
But many advocates disagree, arguing that residents who live in the census tract where the project has been proposed already experience disproportionately high levels of pollution burden and asthma. They say the site’s daily operations would require high volumes of truck traffic that could create toxic diesel emissions and smog-forming contaminants.
“The proposal to expand this facility by another half million square feet is unconscionable,” said Madeline Harris, a regional policy manager with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, which advocates for policy decisions based on the needs of the Central Valley’s disadvantaged communities. “To put into perspective just how massive of a facility this is, 3.4 million square feet is 59 football fields. A facility of this size would no doubt bring significant diesel truck traffic and, with it, toxic air pollution to Madera County.”
Communities in the area, who are predominantly Latino, have long suffered from poor air quality and worse health outcomes as a result, she said. To avoid negative health and environmental impacts, Harris said Madera County “should drastically decrease the size of this project and pursue other mitigation measures like a fully electric truck freight and a solar-powered, zero-emission facility.”
Harris said the public’s input in the process will be critical and should be prioritized by county officials.
“The project as proposed should not proceed because it would have devastating impacts,” she added. “San Joaquin Valley residents deserve jobs and economic development that don’t threaten their ability to breathe and live healthy lives.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.