Good News! The Internet has finally made it to the Inland Empire Orange Empire (a.k.a. Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario) in the form of "The Orange Empire of Southern California - Weblog." Yes, that entire verbage is the title of the blog. And fuck us if they're not discussing planning related issues. That's our bread and butter. The December 10th entry discusses the rebirth of the Riverside Plaza, from one time typical SoCal stripmall/outdoor plaza to an enclosed mall and now back to an open-air mall/plaza.
As part of the rebuild, an assortment of new shops and eateries have planted roots with still more to come in a second phase ("The Orchard Shops") currently under construction. The only portion left from previous incarnations is the 1950s-era Harris-Gottschalks department store, itself receiving a complete makeover. Also new to the mix is the addition of a Borders Books & Music and a 16-screen Regal Cinemas, which combined with the main street-like atmosphere and new eateries -- including California Pizza Kitchen, Ooka Japanese Restaurant, Citrus City Grille -- makes the new Plaza much more of a dining and entertainment destination than before.
Likewise, adding extra life is the regularly-held events involving local schools and community organizations as well as "holiday flavoring" with a bit of fireworks during Fourth of July and a dash of snow during Christmastime.
Congrats to Riverside Plaza, Rick Caruso would be proud.
· Razed, Rebuilt, Revived [The Orange Empire of Southern California - Weblog]