This repositioning strategy functions as a regional plan since it seeks to improve the fortunes of the Inland Empire as a region and to reverse the unsustainable development patterns that are destroying all of California, which, in turn, is, as the fifth largest economy on the planet, vital to the success of the United States of America. Leaders at all levels of government, and many in the private sector, see the need for this kind of massive change to: preserve open space and the culture and character of individual communities; reduce dependence on oil and automobiles; and, revitalize historic urban cores and surrounding urban centers that should function as the basis for long-term economic sustainability and vitality.
To manage the expected population growth, the Inland Empire needs to develop an inventory of superior, desirable, and highly-differentiated places that can attract the most talented people in the world.
While San Bernardino's mayor, Patrick Morris, is a well-known student of New Urbanism, the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency, under the leadership of Emil Marzullo, is responsible for the overall effort, since strategic planning, economics, and marketing provide the framework for the urban planning. The Vision & Action Plan (
http://www.sbrda.org/corevision.htm) is based on recommendations from the Urban Land Institute and a whole series of many of the world's best consultants. But, this final product, itself, was developed by Vaughan Davies and a team from EDAW, in coordination with San Bernardino's own planners, led by Jeffrey Smith. EDAW (AECOM) has also been charged with implementing the strategy and organizing development, while John Fransen, who was responsible for crafting Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, has been retained to lead the retail-leasing effort. At great expense, the city has also recently lured from Reno, new City Manager Charles McNeely, who was credited with performing near-miracles there, to guide the administration of the city during this transition period.
Amazingly, the Vision & Action Plan hardly touches the General Plan, which has already been designed to support this kind of development. Some minor codes are going to have to be modified in certain areas, but, really, everything is already in place and developer interest in the individual pieces is strong. In fact, part of the genius of the Vision & Action Plan is that it seeks a range of developers who specialize in different kinds of projects like adaptive reuse, T.O.D., and student housing. There is no single project on which the whole of the Plan depends; the ingenious mix is the key to managing risk for the city and for developers, themselves. As for other plan documents, they are scattered among the various agencies responsible for the individual pieces.
Omnitrans is the lead agency for sbX, which is, in turn, based on plans by the growing Loma Linda University and the growing San Bernardino State University (parking, traffic management, student housing, etc.). The San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District is the lead agency for the Working Water System. The modernization and expansion of the 215 freeway is the work of SanBAG and CalTrans. The bicentennial celebration is being led by the E.D.A. and the San Bernardino Pioneer & Historical Society. SanBAG is responsible for the multimodal transit station, the Metrolink extension, and the L.R.T./D.E.M.U., as well as the transit village there and the T.O.D. at the original 1918 depot. Theatre Square is mainly a joint venture between the E.D.A., which owns the California Theatre, and Maya Cinemas, which is responsible for the movie screens and some of the retail. The other retail, student housing, theatre-view lofts, etc. are being handled by specialists in their respective fields. San Bernardino County is responsible for the expanded government center, which is partly funded ($60 million) but which will require the sale of Arrowhead Plaza. San Bernardino City is responsible for the rest of the Civic Square, which requires the sale of the existing César Pelli-designed City Hall, which is, itself, intended to be combined with the adjacent hotel to become a new garden resort with a shared pool deck and outdoor nightclubs and poolside restaurants on top of the existing parking structure. It's a very complex undertaking comprised of a series of individual projects that are ultimately being phased and coordinated by the Vision & Action Plan, which is, first and foremost, a repositioning strategy. The initial phasing, incidentally, has the new Maya Cinemas opening for the 2009 holiday season with mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented activity moving outward from this nightlife area, which is designed to be active 24 hours a day. This first major project is intended to set the standard for all future development in the City of San Bernardino.
