Air Force turns over deeds to former March Air Base property

Air Force turns over deeds to former March Air Base property The U.S. Air Force turned over deeds to 224 acres of surplus property at the former March Air Force Base to local civilian authorities this week.
   The March Joint Powers Authority, which is trying to commercially redevelop more than 4,500 acres of land surrounding the decommissioned March Air Base, received the deeds for the property, of which the neighboring city of Moreno Valley received about 94 acres for park and recreational uses.
   In 1996, federal officials decommissioned March Air Force Base, changing it to a reserve air base, and declared 4,531 acres of the base property to be surplus. The military still controls about 2,100 acres of land at the base.
   The MJPA, headed by a commission comprising representatives of Riverside, Moreno Valley and Perris city councils and the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, was created to oversee commercial redevelopment of the surplus land.
   Despite the transfers only occurring now, the MJPA and other civilian officials had previously obtained agreements to use and redevelop the land before the deed transfers.
   Commercial tenants at the reuse property include international air cargo carrier DHL and Philips Consumer Electronics. The city of Moreno Valley has built a skate park and plans to build a dozen soccer fields on surplus land at the north end of the air base property.
   Despite the transfer to civilian control, ongoing and uncompleted environmental clean up of the site remains the responsibility of the Air Force.