Residents sound alarm on proposed industrial space in North Indio

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - Some North Indio residents are sounding the alarm on a proposed mixed-use project off Avenue 42 and Monroe Street, they worry could bring traffic and pollution to their neighborhood.

The project, known as 'Oasis at Indio,' has been proposed by BH Properties, but has yet to go before the Indio's planning commission.

According to BH's website, preliminary plans show it could include up to 3,000 residential units, retail space and nearly 1,806,000 square feet of industrial space.

The plan was first proposed in 2024, with ongoing discussions between the city and developers.

Now, residents say they're making their voices heard as they oppose parts of the development.

"I'm concerned about it's impact on property values, which can only be adverse," John Stocky said.

"How are they going to deal with the pollution? Simply saying that people will ride bicycles and walk to work seems to be a very naive form of mitigation," Deborah Gmeiner said.

A large point of concern for nearby residents is the 2-lane Monroe Street overpass, which is frequently backed up in the evenings.

"We're talking about a thousand or more truck trips a day in and out of this place. Monroe will be basically inaccessible to us," Stocky said.

While the city is planning construction on the bridge to make it four lanes, residents say they still worry about the development's impacts.

"We’re really concerned about the turning radius for trucks. Even with two and three lanes, they're going to back up across Monroe," Gmeiner said.

News Channel 3 took resident concerns to city officials, who say the plan is still in it's early stages.

"This would be the maximum size for that specific plan, but we're not sure exactly what the specific development would be. So after this planning process, the developer would come back and say, this could be maybe part warehouse, maybe part business park, or indoor recreation center," City Manager Jon Nicks said.

With nearly two years of discussions between BH Properties and Indio officials, they say change in the plan is likely.

"After we get through this initial planning phase, we go through a construction phase where they submit specific projects that would fit within the site. Then there's a whole other approval process they have to go through for that," Nicks said.

It's stirring up conversations between residents and officials, who say they're open to compromise.

The 'Oasis at Indio' plan is set to go before Indio's Planning Commission on May 27th. Residents can give public comment there.

Stick with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.