IVDA drops San Bernardino airport infrastructure plan after environmental lawsuit

Environmental group PC4EJ challenges Inland Valley Development Agency project, leading agency to cancel their second warehouse and infrastructure plan in two years

Residents listen in during the public comment period of Inland Valley Development Agency meeting in San Bernardino on March 12, 2025. An environmental group is suing the Inland Valley Development Agency over a proposed infrastructure plan. The lawsuit claims the IVDA isn’t properly following environmental laws (Photo: Anthony Victoria).

The Inland Valley Development Agency has scrapped a major warehouse-related infrastructure plan after an environmental group sued, saying the project threatened nearby neighborhoods.

The agency’s Inland Valley Infrastructure Corridor project, or IVIC, would have added new roads, utilities and drainage north of San Bernardino International Airport to support industrial growth. The IVDA Board voted last Wednesday to cancel the proposal following a lawsuit by the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice (PC4EJ).

In a press release, PC4EJ called the decision “a clear victory for the communities surrounding the San Bernardino Airport.” The group said the IVIC plan could have displaced thousands of residents and destroyed hundreds of affordable housing units while paving the way for warehouse development in parts of Highland and San Bernardino.

“This project was pushed forward without our involvement, because this project was never about infrastructure and you all know that,” said one of PC4EJ’s organizers, Brenda Soto.

The lawsuit, filed in April, argued that the agency violated the California Environmental Quality Act by relying on a flawed environmental review that failed to warn residents about pollution and displacement risks.

Attorney Kevin Bundy, who represents PC4EJ, said, “The IVDA’s approval of this project clearly violated the law, and we’re gratified that the IVDA Board has seen the light. Now it’s time for the IVDA to pivot toward working with and supporting communities near the airport so it doesn’t just keep making the same mistakes.”

It’s the second time in two years the agency has dropped a similar proposal. In 2023, IVDA abandoned its Airport Gateway Specific Plan after heavy criticism from community members and the California Attorney General’s office. PC4EJ had previously argued that the IVIC was the same project as the Airport Gateway plan.

Through the Inland Valley Infrastructure Corridor project, infrastructure and utilities would have been improved in the areas designated in blue (Photo: IVDA).

In a statement, the IVDA said the IVIC was designed to improve aging roadways, utilities and drainage systems around the former Norton Air Force Base, which closed in 1994. “The IVIC project focused on a combined approach to develop and deploy a regional project that could help magnify and accelerate federal, state, and local grant funds to improve the corridor for the long-term benefit of our residents, businesses, and the traveling public,” the agency said.

“Unfortunately, not everyone agrees that public infrastructure funds should be deployed for public infrastructure purposes,” the statement continued.

The IVDA said it remains committed to revitalizing the former base and will continue working with local partners on future improvements.