From Ontario to Moreno Valley along the 60 and 10 Freeways and from Chino to Moreno Valley along the 91 and 215, massive distribution centers have taken over the landscape. The concentration of distribution facilities and the supporting businesses in the Inland Empire has created a magnet for more of the same. One such proposed project for the Moreno Valley would create the world’s largest warehouse at some 40,000,000 square feet.
Whether or not that project ever gets the green light (currently the plan is being revised in hopes of getting the city to approve their concept), that same 40 million feet is likely to be built. But instead of one complex it will be spread over Ontario, Riverside, Fontana, Jurupa, Moreno Valley, and other local cities.
In the last few years Aldi built an 825,000-square-foot distribution facility. A 1.6-million-square-foot distribution facility shared by footwear company Deckers Outdoor and other businesses is open. An Amazon fulfillment center totaling 1.25 million square feet opened in 2014. Sketchers, who already had a 1.8 million square foot warehouse has just opened another 366,700. Other big names already in Moreno Valley include USPS, Home Depot, Ross, Kohl’s, and Walgreens.
Moreno Valley has been through some good times and bad times during its almost 40-year history, growing from a very small town to over 200,000 population, making it the 2nd largest city in Riverside County and 3rd largest in the Inland Empire after Riverside and San Bernardino, though some estimates put Fontana a few thousand ahead of Moreno Valley. Amazingly, this puts Moreno Valley at #111 among all US cities, and 22nd largest in the state.
The growth rate in population has been approximately 5% per year. If this were to continue for even another 5 years, the city would add another 60,000. Only Ontario is likely to see that kind of growth in this period. The growth seems sustainable in that the Riverside County is the fastest growing area in the US at this time.
