Perris could have had more warehouses. Instead it's getting a sports park, homes - and maybe Sam's Club
Perris has lots of warehouses. What it lacks is a Sam's Club.
But thanks to a new agreement between the city and a developer, the big-box retailer might be coming to the Harvest Landing project, along with other stores, restaurants, 615 homes, a sports park and perhaps a hospital and aquatic center.
While the project will have a 392,000-square-foot Federal Express parcel hub, a covenant bans warehouses on a site that could have hosted up millions of square feet of logistics space.
The developer, Howard Industrial Partners of Orange, also agreed to build stores while the parcel hub is under construction. If not, Howard would have to pay a $15 million penalty and $1 million every month until the retail requirement is met.
"If you're not a fan of warehouses, then I think this project is actually better than saying no," Perris Councilmember Malcolm Corona said before the council gave final approval to Harvest Landing on Tuesday, April 14.
The project "is the product of extensive community outreach," Tim Howard of Howard Industrial Partners said via email.
"We talked to thousands of Perris residents and conducted countless public meetings asking what they wanted for their community," he said.
"Their responses overwhelmingly focused on four key priorities: more good jobs, more shopping & dining options, more parks and recreational opportunities, and more housing. We just did what they asked us to do.”
Like many Inland Empire cities, Perris — home to more than 80,000 people, three quarters of them Latino — is no stranger to a logistics boom that's brought an estimated 1 billion square feet or more of warehouses to the region.
On a per-resident basis, Perris is the third most warehouse-saturated city in the Inland Empire, ranking behind Ontario and Moreno Valley, Mike McCarthy, an environmental consultant and co-founder of Riverside Neighbors Opposing Warehouses, said in November.
Logistics is a major Inland employer credited with shielding the Inland Empire from the worst of the economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic. But many residents see warehouses as a curse bringing low-wage jobs and air pollution from warehouse-bound diesel trucks.
Located on 358 acres between the 215 Freeway, Perris Boulevard, Nuevo Road and Placentia Avenue, the Harvest Landing site was once envisioned for a parcel hub, three high-cube warehouses, and three light industrial buildings along with a big-box store and other commercial uses, according to an August 2024 Perris Planning Commission report.
Previous zoning allowed for up to 8 million square feet of warehouses on the property, said Kenneth Phung, Perris' director of development services.
That was before the city council enacted a moratorium on new logistics projects in December. After that, "the developer moved away from logistics," Phung said.
According to the developer, the project's financial viability hinges on FedEx occupying the parcel hub, a February city report states. But to build it, Howard has to meet several benchmarks, according to Phung and city documents.
The $15 million penalty kicks in if 194,000 square feet of commercial space isn't built and occupied when the parcel hub is done, Perris City Manager Clara Viramontes told the council April 14.
Unlike warehouses with "a bunch of 18-wheelers coming in and out," the parcel hub will deliver packages via non-polluting electric vehicles, Perris Mayor Michael Vargas said during that meeting.
Councilmember David Starr Raab mentioned Sam's Club, Buffalo Wild Wings and Sprout's Farmers Market as possible Harvest Landing tenants.
A spokesperson for Walmart, which owns Sam's Club, could not be reached for comment Friday, April 24. Phung said Sam's Club has submitted plans and a letter of intent for a Harvest Landing store.
The 615 housing units will be a mix of homes and apartments, Phung said. Howard also has promised to provide $2 million for a program helping first-time homebuyers in Perris.
The 16-acre sports park, which will be built in the first phase of the two-phase project, could have up to four soccer fields, and a playground, a March city report states.
Forty acres is set aside for a future hospital, and the developer must make a good faith effort to bring a hospital to the property within 10 years, the report adds. Also, Howard agreed to give Perris $5 million to build an aquatics center in the project's second phase, Phung said.
About 500 people sent emails supporting the project and eight emailed to oppose it, according to a February report to the council.
Seventeen people signed up to speak about the project at the council's April 14 meeting, including youth soccer club director Julio Reyes, who said a lack of fields forces families to go to Moreno Valley or Mt. San Jacinto College.
"We understand that there's pros and cons to every project," he said. "We for sure think the pros outweigh the cons by a mile."
Critics included local environmental activist Karla Cervantes, who asked the council to get a written guarantee from the developer that at least 30% of the project's jobs would remain.
"We see it all the time — false promises, marketing, and then AI takes over these jobs," she said. "Put it in writing."
The council voted 4-1 on April 14 to move forward with Harvest Landing. Councilmember Marisela Nava cast the lone no vote.
Corona said he's "very confident" the council secured "by far … the most community benefits for any project in the history of our city" with Harvest Landing.
"It's not just empty promises," he said. "All this stuff has been written down. We’ve had our lawyers look over it … There are very steep penalties (and) we're going to make sure (the developer) pays those penalties if they don't adhere to the community benefits."
The parcel hub workers can spend their money locally by getting gas and lunch and groceries at Harvest Landing, Raab said.
Given the economic uncertainty caused by the Iran war, "I think it's imperative that we lock this down" and move forward with the project, he said.
Vargas expressed frustration with how long it's taken the council to finalize the project, warning that the delay could scare off potential stores and restaurants.
Harvest Landing will bring $90 million in infrastructure, the mayor added.
"That's our budget, folks," Vargas said. "It would take decades for this city to develop that kind of infrastructure."
Vallejo said while she's not a fan of the parcel hub, when she saw the project would pass, she met with the developer and got a promise of $2 million for the first-time homebuyer program.
"I am your council member and I can't even afford a home … I still live with my parents because I can't afford one," Vallejo said. "So to know that we can give you guys that opportunity, that's what I care about more."
Nava argued the project's development agreement is too vague and questioned whether the promised stores and benefits will materialize.
The parcel hub, she said, will bring more traffic than a regular warehouse and worsen residents' commutes.
"I don't know about you," Nava said. "But I can't put a price on clean air" and increased traffic."
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