The Mayor's office in San Bernardino is attempting to coordinate all the owners of existing real estate within the city, including that in the thriving Riverfront District, to match the repositioning strategy by reinvesting in their properties, especially the office space on the western side of Hospitality Lane.
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But after a decade of building shopping centers and office buildings, the area is built out. City officials have shifted their focus from new developments to working with existing property owners located from Waterman Avenue west to D Street in an effort to revitalize aging office buildings and retail space.
Morris said the mayor's office was trying to pull together property owners to reinvest in their properties and reinvent the western area to take advantage of an expansion of rapid bus service that stretches north to downtown and then to the University Park area of San Bernardino. He said by repositioning the western end of Hospitality Lane it would create a new market for retailers looking to attract rapid-transit commuters and consumers from other areas of the city.
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http://www.inlandsocal.com/business/...e.33f473c.html
This thinking actually reflects a suggestion I made to the public-art consultant for sbX and at one of the public charrettes. I believe that the area where Hospitality Lane meets E Street needs a high-profile focal point, like a column, a large fountain, or an obelisk, at the termination of the westward and southward vistas and that the unappealing commercial building at this axial shift needs a new mix of retail, an open square, and a pedestrian orientation. At the moment, that area just seems to suck the life from Hospitality Lane, and the lack of anything interesting at this important place keeps westbound motorists from traveling northward on E Street.
I also insisted that the bridge over the Santa Ana River be reimagined. At the very least, a series of well-designed and colorful banners lining the roadway would make the structure more distinctive and would help soften all the concrete that seems to dominate that space.
The City of San Bernardino needs to improve access to the Santa Ana River, as well. The addition of the Santa Ana River Trail is good, but people need to be able to reach the wetlands, themselves, especially where the mid-rise buildings overlook the water and the wildlife.
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