Officials voice vision for Greenspot Village & Marketplace

Developers are just weeks away from presenting to the city site plans for the Greenspot Village & Marketplace on the north side of Greenspot Road, east of the 210 Freeway.

The anxiously awaited project will bring more than 800,000 square feet of retail business and housing to the Golden Triangle - on Greenspot Road between the 210 Freeway and Boulder Avenue. It will complement the Highland Crossings plaza across the street, anchored by a Lowes Home Improvement Center.

Once built out, the Golden Triangle is expected to breathe new economic life into the city, providing new sources of sales and property tax revenue as well as provide a place for residents to dine, shop and be entertained without traveling outside the city to do so.

A completed environmental impact report will be going out for public review next week, Community Development Director John Jaquess said.

On Tuesday, City Councilmembers and planning commissioners voiced their concerns and gave input to representatives from Redlands-based Mission Development Company and Long Beach-based Vestar Development Co.

Mission Development will build about 800 residential units including single-family homes and townhomes, parks and open space on 29 acres. Vestar is planning a 52-acre retail marketplace with a major retail anchor, such as a Super Target.

Vestar's development will also be conducive for a variety of other business including fast food and sit-down restaurants, a gas station and a bank.

Another 23 acres on the northwest corner of Greenspot Road and Boulder Avenue is slated for future commercial development, but no plans have yet been presented, Jaquess said.

During Tuesday's joint study session in City Council chambers, concern centered mostly on integrating the residential and retail elements of the development in a way that would make it as pedestrian friendly as possible, giving it a town center vibe.

Councilmembers and planning commissioners want to see plenty of open space, water fountains and other amenities that will encourage people to walk, sit and enjoy the ambience. They cited Citrus Plaza in Redlands as an example, but are aiming for something that would rival that.

"This particular plan doesn't show those (amenities), and that causes me concern," Councilman Ross Jones said.

City Councilman Larry McCallon was absent at the meeting, but a hard copy of an e-mail he sent to City Manager Joseph Hughes addressing his concerns was  submitted for review and discussion.

McCallon cited several concerns in his e-mail. He wants to be assured night clubs, off track betting uses and self storage businesses are prohibited, and said that a 120-foot high freeway pylon sign is probably unrealistic, among other things.

Jeffrey Lochner, Vestar's project manager, assured the Council and Planning Commission that their concerns would be addressed during the preparation of the official site plans.

"It's critical to us that we have a place where people will want to be - better than Citrus Plaza," Lochner said.