For safety, Victorville officials to close road at SCLA, shuttered George Air Force Base

Due to safety concerns, Victorville city officials will permanently close a portion of George Boulevard at Southern California Logistics Airport.

The roadway mainly is on the east side of logistics airport, where most of the shuttered and partially abandoned George Air Force Base property exists.

The former Air Force Base transitioned into the city-owned and operated Southern California Logistics Airport in 1994.

The permanent road closure begins on April 30 on George Boulevard between Air Expressway and Ohio Street.

Access to businesses and public facilities at Southern California Logistics Airport, including Schmidt Park and the Westwinds Sports Complex, will remain available via Nevada Avenue, Phantom East and Phantom West.

On April 30, the city’s Engineering and Public Works Departments will implement signage, pavement striping, barricades and traffic signal enhancements to facilitate the permanent closure of the portion of George Boulevard that runs through the residential area of the former base.

The road closure is to promote safety by limiting access to deteriorating and unsecured structures that remain from the base. The closure will also facilitate the planned redevelopment of the area that is anticipated to take place within the next 10 years by the city development partner ProLogis, city officials stated.

The affected portion of George Boulevard is no longer a part of the city’s master plan.

Thriving Southern California Logistics Airport

The financially self-sustaining Southern California Logistics Airport is considered the largest employment center in the Victor Valley, offering 4,500 jobs at 62 businesses, city officials stated in 2024.

Some of the businesses include Fortune 500 companies like Boeing and GE Aviation. Additionally, with on-airport and off-airport development, Southern California Logistics Airport serves manufacturing, warehousing, aviation and aerospace companies in one location, city leaders said.

Southern California Logistics Airport’s operations cater to the entire aircraft life cycle, including flight testing and aircraft maintenance, painting, recycling and asset management. Last year, 99% of the tenant space at the airport was occupied.

Ghost town

Before the base closure, George Boulevard ran through the heart of the heavily populated property and was used by thousands of military personnel and their families to access homes, offices and other facilities.

A tour on Tuesday of the soon-to-be shuttered street and neighborhood revealed a well-maintained George Boulevard from Air Expressway to Ohio Street. On each side of Ohio Street, the ghost town-like neighborhood included abandoned homes, buildings and recreation facilities that were punctuated with graffiti, broken windows, torn roofs, dead vegetation and trash.

Also found were signs of people using airsoft guns during team-based, military-style games that involve shooting non-lethal projectiles at opponents.

Over the decades, the abandoned buildings have been toured by YouTubers, adventurers and ghost hunters seeking paranormal activity. 

On Tuesday, a family with children was seen visiting the abandoned hospital, buildings, homes and yards.

Contaminant concern

In 2020, the Military Accountability and Transparency Alliance (MAATA) left 62 pairs of baby shoes at George Air Force Base’s shuttered hospital as part of a protest against the Air Force.

The shoes were left in memory of children lost due to miscarriages and stillbirths. The group says women at the base were exposed to toxic chemicals and as a result, their pregnancies failed, the Daily Press reported.

During that time, a memorial service was held that included a “silent protest” of what the organization said was the Air Force’s lack of response to the contamination.

Five years ago, MAATA had about 1,600 members who once served or lived on the base, which officially closed in 1992. The women believe they were exposed to toxic chemicals or radiation, and as a result, were plagued with health problems.

The fighter jet base was declared a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1990.

According to a previous report, the agency had identified more than 30 contaminants of concern at the site that “pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment,” and are present in the soil, solid waste and groundwater.

They include a 600-acre plume of trichloroethylene and about 2 million gallons of disposed jet fuel in an area turned over to state oversight in 2005.

By 2020, $172 million has been spent, with an estimated $62.2 million still needed to achieve cleanup of all sites by 2077.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville to close road at SCLA, shuttered George Air Force Base