The I.E. is trying is damnedest to be like a real city. Redevelopment agencies are busy making cities of those suburbs. First, in Ontario, a new redevelopment project in downtown plans to offer all of the amenities of a real downtown in a faux city atmosphere. The $200 million project plans to build on what already exists of the Ontario Towne Square, the downtown area already bursting with olde worlde charme. The city has implored the developer to save some of the “historic” buildings in addition to the new construction going into the project:
Slated for a Fall 2009 completion, the joint venture of Los Angeles-based J.H. Snyder and the Ontario Housing Agency will include 471 units of housing--160 apartments, 140 for-sale town homes, and 171 for-sale lofts--anchored by 80,000 sf of street-level retail and adjacent restaurant pads. About half of the units will be available for very low-, low-, and moderate-income households. Adjacent to the project, the California affiliate of the Related Cos. LP will develop a 76-unit active senior housing community for low income tenants.
Just down the road, in San Berardino, the area around the Metrolink stop (the Santa Fe Depot) is slated for some redevelopment too. Apparently it’s pretty gritty down there. First in line is a shopping center with a large grocery store that is planned to open in 2007. Next is some sort of transit oriented development, but that is still an unknown and will be voted on in October. A greedy developer scooped up a big parcel of property in the area just before the redevelopment agency could buy it. Now they can’t afford it and the whole effort may be thwarted. We say: Go Big! Go Eminent Domain!
· $200M Project Leads Revitalization [Globe St.]
· City, Developer Close to Deal [Press Enterprise]