Millions of square feet of online shopping warehouses are popping up in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Now some residents who love their rural lifestyle are fighting these developments. Los Angeles Times reporter Rachel Plevin visited two unincorporated, rural communities — Mead Valley and Bloomington — at the center of it all.
Two years ago, more than 100 homes in Bloomington were demolished to make way for a 2 million-square-foot warehouse industrial park. Some residents in the area have benefitted from the changes, including Raquel Diaz, whose property was bought by the developer, Howard Industrial Partners. She purchased the home for $140,000, but it became a nightmare after it flooded, Plevin explains.
“When the developer approached them and said, ‘Would you be willing to sell your home,’ Diaz thought it was a good opportunity. In the end, they were able to buy a five-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Highland. This home cost $1.05 million. It’s a 3800-square-foot home with a pool and views, and she feels like she was really lucky.”…