Upland, CA — From affordable housing near a Metrolink station to the continued expansion of one of Southern California’s fastest-growing transportation hubs, regional leaders are looking at Upland and Ontario as examples of how infrastructure investment can shape the Inland Empire’s next stage of economic development.
Members of the Southern California Association of Governments Regional Council (SCAG) visited the two cities during an Aug. 19 Inland Empire mobile workshop focused on housing production, transportation infrastructure and economic development.
The workshop reflected two priorities identified by SCAG Regional Council President Ray Marquez: increasing housing production and viewing infrastructure as a tool for economic development.
In Upland, regional leaders examined planning underway in the city’s historic downtown, including infrastructure work designed to support two affordable housing developments on vacant parcels near the Upland Metrolink Station.
The planning effort is receiving support through the Regional Early Action Planning Grants of 2021, commonly known as REAP 2.0.
Locating housing near an existing rail station reflects a broader regional planning strategy aimed at placing homes closer to transportation, employment and community services.
Transit-oriented development can also reduce the distance residents must travel by automobile for work and other daily needs, an increasingly important consideration in an Inland Empire region known for lengthy commutes.
The delegation then traveled to Ontario International Airport, where the focus shifted from housing and transit connectivity to jobs, commerce and the Inland Empire’s growing role within the Southern California economy.
ONT’s economic importance has grown substantially during the decade since control of the airport returned to local authorities.
A recent independent study conducted by Oxford Economics found that Ontario International Airport generated approximately $4.8 billion in annual economic output in 2024, supported roughly 24,300 jobs and contributed about $3 billion to regional gross domestic product.
The airport’s overall economic impact has increased by more than 75 percent since it returned to local control in November 2016, according to the study.
That growth has implications well beyond travelers passing through the terminals.
Ontario International Airport sits at the center of a regional transportation network that includes major freeways, freight corridors and warehouse and logistics centers. Its operations affect tourism, cargo movement, businesses and employment throughout San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
SCAG characterized the airport as an important economic and transportation asset supporting jobs, commerce, tourism and regional supply chains.
Taken together, the Upland and Ontario stops illustrate two sides of the Inland Empire’s growth challenge.
Regional leaders are under pressure to produce more housing — particularly housing affordable to working families — while simultaneously creating transportation systems and employment centers that allow residents to reach jobs without enduring increasingly difficult commutes.
The issue is especially important in communities where workers may live dozens of miles from employment centers because housing closer to coastal job markets is unaffordable.
By placing housing near transit and continuing investment in major regional assets such as Ontario International Airport, planners hope to strengthen the connection between where Inland Empire residents live and where economic opportunity is created.
SCAG said the workshop was intended to highlight how coordinated investment in housing, transportation infrastructure and community amenities can support economic growth while improving quality of life.
For the Inland Empire, that coordination could become increasingly important as the region determines how to accommodate continued housing demand while building an economy that provides residents with more opportunities closer to home.
