Kohl’s to Build on Former Norton Site

The Wisconsin-based Kohl’s department store chain will build 651,880 square feet of warehouse space on a 60-acre site at the former Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino--now known as San Bernardino International Airport and Trade Center--in what will be the first major construction at the 2,000-acre airport site since the city took over the property in 1994.

Kohl’s acquired the site through Hillwood Investments, a Dallas-based company owned by Ross Perot Jr., according to an announcement by Hillwood, which is slated to become the master developer of the airport under an agreement with the airport authority and the Inland Valley Development Assn.

The warehouse development is a necessary step by Kohl’s “to launch its entry into the West Coast market,” said Judith Valles, San Bernardino mayor and co-chair of the Inland Valley Development Assn. Kohl’s previously announced its intention to open stores in Southern California.