The Redlands City Council voted 3-2 late Tuesday, July 16, to approve a planned warehouse for the vacant Splash Kingdom waterpark property.
Pharaoh’s Lost Kingdom-turned-Splash Kingdom closed in 2019 after a series of economic and vandalism troubles, and was demolished in 2021. Since then, the site was identified for redevelopment.
Mayor Eddie Tejeda and Councilmembers Paul Barich and Mario Saucedo voted for construction of the 357,610-square-foot warehouse proposed for the site, much to the dismay of some meeting-goers Tuesday.
Councilmembers Denise Davis and Jenna Guzman-Lowery opposed the project, siding with residents who raised concerns about the proposal at the public hearing.
“It is our duty to ensure the safety for our community for this generation and future generations to come,” Davis said at the meeting Tuesday. “We have the worst air quality in the nation. And it would be unconscionable to do something that further contributes to that.“
The vacant Splash Kingdom property has been a troubled site for years. The park changed ownership in 2012 with the new owners proposing plans to revamp the site. Redlands revoked the permit to operate Splash Kingdom in 2021 after multiple fires created unsafe operating conditions. The waterslides were torn down later in 2021, and Redlands officials considered rezoning the land for residential development. But now, in 2024, the long-gone waterpark is slated for warehousing.
The council’s vote at its meeting Tuesday overturns the Redlands Planning Commission’s unanimous vote last month recommending the project’s rejection.
The plan calls for the construction of a 357,610-square-foot warehouse on nearly 16 acres at 1101 California St. between Lugonia Avenue and the 10 Freeway.
The North Palisade project would include 6,000 square feet of office space as well as parking lots, loading docks, landscaping, walls and fences, lighting, storm water drainage facilities and utility connections, according to a city report.
“I know that technically, this warehouse meets all the requirements,” Germaine Miles told the council Tuesday. “But I think we need to take into consideration what the Planning Commission points out, that this project does not conform to the city’s overall character, and it does not protect and enhance the city’s unique character.”
In a letter to the council read at the meeting by her field representative Maria Brunner, Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes, D-Colton, said she opposed the project.
“Approving this project would add an additional 360,000 square feet of warehousing to an already saturated area and would inevitably draw even more truck traffic to the site, impacting local community members,” Reyes said.
She and other critics of the project raised concerns about its location and potentially negative impacts on traffic, air pollution and public health. A Kaiser Permanente medical office building, the San Bernardino County Museum, shops and other warehouses are located near the site.
“Public health should not be the price we pay to provide economic security to our constituents,” Reyes added, according to Brunner.
Former Councilmember Toni Momberger also urged the council to reject the proposal.
“A warehouse is bad for the environment, it’s bad for the local economy, it’s bad for our future unemployment numbers,” she said at the meeting. “It’s bad for our residents’ pride in their hometown, and it’s bad for our property values.
“Please reject this project and modify the municipal code to prohibit warehouse permitting in Redlands totally,” added Momberger. “You have the legal right to do this.”
Some residents in support of the project focused on the economic benefits of the proposal, including the creation of construction-related jobs in the short term.
“This project will bring so much to the city of Redlands,” speaker Robert Lujan said. “The developer has a commitment to hire us locals.”
Redlands Chamber of Commerce board President Ken Morse said the chamber has endorsed and recommends approval of the warehouse project.
“As the Redlands Chamber of Commerce,” he added,” we are proud to create a business-friendly environment and provide a warm welcome to those who set down roots in our community.”
