Desert Hot Springs to house one of largest rooftop solar arrays in California
Desert Hot Springs will soon be home to a warehouse with one of the largest rooftop solar arrays in California, officials announced today.
The Viento logistics center will be located by Interstate 10 near Little Morongo Road. A sortable multi-story e-commerce warehouse and distribution center for consumer products, it will encompass about 3.5 million square feet, taking up more than 94 acres, and stand approximately 105 feet high.
As we reported back in March, it's set to be one of the largest distribution centers in the U.S.
The proposal was praised for its job growth potential, with more than 1,800 people expected to be employed when the warehouse is operational, according to the development permit request. However, there were some who raised concerns about the warehouse's impact on the environment, traffic, and health.
Two environmental groups, Oswit Land Trust and the Tahquitz group of the Sierra Club, had filed an appeal against the project, asking the City Council to require a new initial study to determine if the project requires a mitigated negative declaration or an environmental impact report, but the two groups settled with the city recently.
"If this project had been proposed on land that is zoned and designated for residential, open space, recreation, or was near or joining wildlife habitat or wildlife corridors, we would not have settled,'' Oswit Land Trust President Jane Garrison told City News Service.
Garrison said she thinks all industrial warehouses should have solar on rooftops.
According to the project's development permit request, it would be used primarily for the storage and consolidation of goods before they're distributed. It will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
"We are pleased that the facility will be built in a sustainable way that is friendly to the environment and which will provide thousands of jobs to our residents and revenue to the city of Desert Hot Springs," Mayor Scott Matas said.
Construction on the Viento logistics center is planned to begin in June. If all things go according to plan, construction would be finished by Sept. 2023 and be operational in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.
