Planning experts review largest remaining property in Ontario
As one of the last retail commercial jewels in the city, the 250-acre Meredith property just north of the 10 Freeway could garner a project comparable to Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga or the Ontario Mills Mall.
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As one of the last retail commercial jewels in the city, the 250-acre Meredith property just north of the 10 Freeway could garner a project comparable to Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga or the Ontario Mills Mall.
The undeveloped property, with its location and access to the freeway, exudes what developers are in search of, said Ruben Escobosa, senior vice president, managing director of Colliers International in Ontario.
"It's a bit of tarnished piece of gold because of the current economy. Once those challenges are solved, then you've got a piece of gold," he said.
While the buildout of the Meredith property is more than 30 years away, city planning officials know they need to be smart about how it is developed. That is why planning officials are looking to the region's experts on how best to develop the site.
On Oct. 8, the Planning Department will receive recommendations from a panel of Urban Land Institute members on the best transit-oriented development for the site, said John Shumway with ULI's Orange County/ Inland Empire.
ULI Orange County/Inland Empire has developed a program to help real estate developers and city planners create feasible transit-oriented development projects, he said. These programs assess the market potential of selected sites and highlight best practices.
Since the start of this year, the nonprofit organization has studied Placentia, Corona and Riverside. Ontario is being examined
now.
This is the first time the city is working with ULI, and it's the largest site the panel is studying, said Jerry Blum, Ontario's planning director.
"Here we have an abundance of space that will allow us to have more flexibility," Shumway said.
Last week more than 20 planners, transportation experts and economist were bused around the 250-acre site, north of the 10 Freeway between Archibald and Vineyard avenues, to get a first-hand view of the property.
"We need to position this site so the next turn in the economy we can be in the position to build it," Blum said.
In the next 30 years, Ontario expects growth that mostly will be generated by LA/Ontario International Airport, Blum said.
The city's population will double and the employment base will nearly triple, he said.
The study by the ULI panel is essential since transportation is vital to a city which is served by three freeways. Plans call for two future passenger rail systems to have stops in the city, Blum said.
During the bus tour, Blum outlined the city's vision for the property, plans for the Gold Line extension as well as where the California High-Speed Rail and where a multi-modal transit center would be located.
The city will use the recommendations made by the panel to start a new specific plan and "vision" of the property, Blum said.
The Meredith property was owned by Richard Meredith until he passed away. The property is now being operated by his children under the Meredith Trust Fund, Blum said.
The last plan approved for the site was in 1982, when the city was looking at high growth with a plan to build 800 housing units and about 4 million square feet of development.
Today, in order to meet future growth the city is considering building about 3,000 housing units and about 8 million square feet of development, Blum said.
In order to correctly develop the property, he said it's going to require at least three years of planning and a buildout that could spread over 20 years.
The 250-acre property has remained vacant for several reasons.
Multiple developers have expressed interest in the site but have been concerned about building high-end development across Vineyard Avenue from several blocks of apartments.
In an effort to address developers' concerns, last year the City Council agreed to extend the redevelopment area to include the apartments along Vineyard Avenue, he said.
This will allow the city to rehabilitate or buy out the property on the street.
"The vision of this site is unprecedented, and it's going to be the crown jewel of the city when it's realized," said Dave Bartlett, vice president of Brookefield Homes.
The study will culminate with one final presentation on Jan. 12 that will review all four cities and the recommendations that were made, he said.
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| Liset Márquez has covered the city of Ontario for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin since 2008. She started the OntarioNow blog in August 2008. To contact Liset, leave a comment on this blog or send an e-mail to Liset Marquez |
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