City Council hears details of massive warehouse proposal

Moreno Valley residents lined up Monday to show their support for the World Logistics Center, the massive industrial project that its developer says will bring 20,000 jobs to the city.

During a special city council meeting that grew heated on several occasions, backers of the project told the council the city cannot afford to pass on the number of jobs the project will create, along with the other economic benefits the development will bring to Moreno Valley.

At buildout, the warehouse-distribution project would cover 40.6 million square feet – roughly the size of 700 football fields – on the city’s east side.

During a two-and-half-hour presentation that included a slide show and videos, developer Iddo Benzeevi repeated the points he made before the planning commission earlier this summer: that the World Logistics Center would not only create jobs but make Moreno Valley a recognized global logistics hub.

Should the city council reject the project, the development that would have made up the World Logistics Center will land in other Inland Empire cities, meaning Moreno Valley will get no economic benefit from them, Benzeevi told the council.

“We’re the gateway to the United States, and one of the fastest growing economies the world,” Benzeevi said. “Mostly because of where we’re located, this is an opportunity to do something historic.”

Moreno Valley residents have disagreed on the project’s potential benefits ever since it was proposed in 2012, but its supporters took center stage during the meeting when public comments began.

“Some people look at the World Logistics Center and they see traffic, noise and pollution,” said Owen Christian, a Moreno Valley resident since 1985. “I look at the World Logistics Center and I see opportunity meeting opportunity. If you vote against this project, Moreno Valley loses. If you vote yes, it wins.”

Monday’s meeting, held in the city’s Conference and Recreation Center, was the first of possibly three special council meetings that will be held regarding World Logistics Center.