County eyeing 1,200 acres in Rancho Cucamonga for development
The county is preparing to purchase the largest chunk of developable land remaining in Rancho Cucamonga and then sell it to a developer for commercial and residential development.
One of the entities vying to build on the 1,200-acre property north of the 210 Freeway is a consortium of developers calling itself Rancho Alliance Investors, which includes Upland-based Lewis Homes and Rancho Cucamonga-based Diversified Pacific, whose managing member, Jeff Burum, was a partner in the controversial Colonies development in Upland.
In 2002, Colonies Partners sued the county over flood control easements at the Upland site. It received a $102 million settlement from the county six years later, in late 2006.
"I individually am a member of a larger team pulled together by Lewis Homes to respond to an (Request for Qualification)," Burum said in an e-mail Tuesday. "I was invited to join this group because of my extensive knowledge and expertise working with easements; multiple state, federal and local water agencies as well as other technical skill sets."
Rancho Alliance Investors is one of six developers that will give presentations on what they plan to build on the property at two special Rancho Cucamonga City Council meetings at noon on March 2 and at 1:30 p.m. on March 3. The City Council will subsequently make a recommendation to the county on a developer.
On Tuesday, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement between the county and its flood control district for the purchase of the land. After receiving proposals on a developer from Rancho Cucamonga, the county will enter into a land entitlement agreement with its selected developer, which officials say will take between five to seven years.
The entitlement agreement will enable the county to have oversight and control over how the property is developed and ensure it is developed properly, county spokesman David Wert said.
It is unclear who much the county will pay for the land, as it is still being appraised. That is expected to take about six months, said Tim Johnson, district director for Second District Supervisor Paul Biane.
The county has done a preliminary assessment of the land's value based on current market conditions, and determined it is likely worth between $37.5 million and $75 million.
Developers have proposed a golf course and a 25-acre sports park for the future development, but nothing has been set in stone. The city of Rancho Cucamonga will be charting the course of development in coming years, said Mahdi Aluzri, deputy city manager for Rancho Cucamonga.
The city and county circulated a request for proposals for development in July. It received seven proposals, and one of the developers, John Laing Homes, has since dropped out of consideration, Aluzri said.
The Board of Supervisors plans to receive proposals from Rancho Cucamonga regarding future entitlement of the property at its April 28 meeting.
The five other developers competing for the land are: Del Mar-based Brookfield Homes, Oregon-based K&K Development Inc., Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers, Inc., Irvine-based Foremost Communities and Stockton-based Richland Communities, Inc.
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