After years of fierce debate, a large-scale Southern California development project seems to have finally moved past its tallest hurdle: protecting one of the world’s oldest trees. Jurupa Valley, the Riverside County city of more than 100,000, in the sprawling Inland Empire east of Los Angeles, has been bitterly divided for years over the fate of a specific Palmer’s oak that rests in a rocky wash of (currently) open land. The tree, thought to be at least 13,000 years old, is not only historic; it’s also considered culturally vital to the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians’ Kizh Nation.
Rio Vista, an incoming residential and light industrial development near the base of the Palmer’s oak, has drawn loads of local dissension during public comments and meetings over the past several years. The project, spread across some 918 acres, calls for around 1,700 residential units, as well as a business park, a new school and other community additions like parkland and open space.
At its closest, the business park would come within 450 feet of the tree…