Private Sector Readies Closed Air Base for Retail Build

SAN BERNARDINO, CA-In one of the Inland Empire’s largest and most important real estate transactions in years, Dallas-based Hillwood Investments says it has sold a 60-acre parcel on the grounds of the former Norton Air Force Base here to department-store giant Kohl’s Corp. to build a 651,880-sf distribution center that could eventually employ nearly 1,000 local residents.

The value of the transaction goes far beyond the jobs it will create or the $25 million that Kohl’s plans to spend on its new project. More important, experts say, is that the deal is the first major milestone in the hard-fought effort by both San Bernardino officials and the private sector to convert the closed military base into an engine that will help power the local economy for years to come.

Wisconsin-based Kohl’s plans to build a large distribution center on the site is also a sign that the department-store chain has big plans to expand in Southern California, a move that would provide a much-needed boost to the retail property market across the five-county Southland.