The website for Burgerim, a new hamburger emporium in Montclair, lists the driving distance from various local cities, including Narod. Narod? That’s a vanished community around Mission and Central, essentially the land between Montclair and Chino. Google lists Narod — I scrolled down the map to show it before doing the screen shot — as well as some other long-gone communities like Rochester and Grapeland. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Anyway, I find it hilarious that Narod is listed on the Burgerim site, at least for now, alongside Ontario, Pomona and more. It’s six minutes away from the restaurant, by the way.

Speaking of Burgerim, if you’re reading this Sept. 21, the place is giving away free food today in its grand opening, from 11 a.m. until they run out, at 9359 Central Ave.

Remember the promised expansion of Montclair Plaza (now Montclair Place)? It’s been a year, but nothing has happened. I take another look at it and provide an update in Sunday’s column. There does seem to be some movement, but as a veteran of these things, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Wednesday’s column has some Montclair news, first about a retail center that’s partly opened, then about some other businesses and housing going up. Five Culture Corner items and four Chino items round out an item-packed column.

Food Truck Tuesdays in the parking lot of Montclair Plaza is proving a strong lure. I write about the event in Friday’s column, while also offering up three Culture Corner items, a plug for this blog and word of Record Store Day, which makes its annual appearance Saturday. Above, a photo from Tuesday’s event.

Sunday’s column revisits the corner of Central and Mission, where the bar that replaced a long-fought strip club opened last summer. It’s open limited hours and now there are signs saying “For Sale or Lease.”

A new building is going up in Montclair around where Long John Silver’s used to stand, on the east side of Central Avenue across from Costco. It will have two tenants, one of which will be a Starbucks with a drive-thru, which as it’s only yards from the 10 Freeway onramp should become popular quickly. The other tenant is slated to be a Sleep Number mattress store.

Caffeine and bedtime? One suspects customers at the two businesses are going to be mutually exclusive.

Two more buildings are planned on the same site, with the entire complex to be known as the Montclair Shoppes. I don’t think anyone’s going to confuse it with the Shoppes at Chino Hills, which is a full-fledged mall, but hey, the developers have to call it something.

As a note to motorists, the northbound lane of Central is closed in that area while the contractor completes utility work and curb and gutter replacement and won’t reopen until late in August.

* Since people are asking, here’s what I wrote in April: “A small development to be called Montclair Shoppes is expected to break ground soon on Central Avenue across from Costco. Committed tenants include a long-awaited Original Tommy’s, only its second Inland Valley location. (The other is in Chino.) Also slated: Jersey Mike’s, Dickey’s BBQ, Robek’s Juice, a Starbucks drive-through and an AT&T store.”

Formerly in downtown Pomona’s Arts Colony, Gallery Soho has moved upscale into the air-conditioned, carpeted confines of Montclair Plaza, where it occupies a space next to Victoria’s Secret and paces from Nordstrom. Quite a change for the Pomona Valley Art Association. Wednesday’s column explains the move.

The upcoming revamp of Montclair Plaza is the subject of my Wednesday column. The above rendering appears with my column and looks west, showing a cinema, shops and a pedestrian zone called The Avenue. The renderings below depict other views.

This view is looking north, with the 10 Freeway at the bottom edge. Parking lots? Who needs parking lots? The lots are replaced by parking structures and new shops.

This rendering is looking south from Moreno. The entrance to the mall is improved — it was referred to as a “grand entrance” by city planners — with a level parking deck and space for outdoor events.

In Phase 2, which could begin in early 2017 and finish in mid-year, a fashion district would include the two new buildings at lower left, between Macy’s, top, and Nordstrom, upper right. This view is looking north. The vacant Macaroni Grill restaurant building, currently somewhere around the lower left in real life, would be demolished.

Facing east, this view represents The Avenue, a new walkable area that would include shops, left, and a cinema, background right.

Kathleen Kim, a CIM Group first vice president, and Jim Suhr, a consultant for CIM, speak briefly at Monday’s Montclair Planning Commission meeting, at which the commission unanimously signed off on the design and environmental study.

Wednesday’s column starts off with news about the former strip club south of Montclair that is still raising eyebrows due to signs advertising that it will become a gay bar. Also: news items from Ontario, some Coco’s and Carrows locations close and a series of meetings about the Gold Line’s planned Inland Valley leg are scheduled.

Montclair is overlooked on a map of cities we cover, but I round up seven news items from around town to make it up to them. Also: three items from Claremont and word of an Afghani women’s rights march in Rancho Cucamonga. All of this is in my Friday column.