SAN BERNARDINO l Re-establishment as One of Southern California's Three Urban Cores

[PragmaticIdealist]

Before the advent of the freeways, the 199-year-old San Bernardino functioned as an urban core and the nexus of an extensive transportation system approximately 60 miles East of the center of Los Angeles and 90 miles North of San Diego's.

Today, the 65-square-mile San Bernardino is the 100th most populous city in the United States. And, the San Bernardino Valley is expected over the next ten years to add another million residents to the four million already living in the Inland Empire. So, the city, and its neighboring municipalities, have embarked on an ambitious and impressive strategy to re-establish the urban core and to dramatically reposition San Bernardino to compete in the category of: Los Angeles; San Diego; San Francisco; San Jose; and, other first-tier cities around the country and around the world.









The plan is specifically intended to avoid competing with Riverside, Ontario, and similar nearby cities that lack the powerful combination of an authentic urban environment and large tracts of developable land.

You can see more views of the project, along with a fairly extensive catalog of the existing visual and cultural resources of the city in this Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/sanbernardino

You may also be interested in this group related to the whole of the Inland Empire: http://www.flickr.com/groups/inlandempire

The current business activity in San Bernardino is concentrated in the Riverfront District between the 10 freeway and the Santa Ana River. At the far North end of the city is San Bernardino State University while Loma Linda University occupies the southern part of the valley.



In 2011, both institutions will be connected to the city center, and to the new "superuniversity" campus surrounding the existing American Sports University, by sbX, a B.R.T. tramway traveling along E Street and Hospitality Lane.



The sbX corridor is being developed as a series of self-contained urban villages. Beyond the city center described in the Vision & Action Plan are new mixed-use districts and neighborhoods that are expansions and redevelopments of existing activity centers and traditional neighborhoods. For example, the sbX station at North Mall Way will include new open-air and pedestrian-oriented development Macerich is adding to the Inland Center on the West, as well as new construction by Lewis Development Group surrounding the historic structures of the National Orange Show site to the East. That project is scheduled for completion in 2014.



Other stations have similar potential, and four will feature park-&-ride lots and structures offering shared parking available for even more development.



The North-South sbX service will provide two station-stops in the city center. The more southerly station is a multimodal facility that will connect sbX with the Metrolink extension from the nearby 1918 depot, which, itself, has already undergone extensive restoration and expansion with some interesting T.O.D.



Utilizing the same Pacific Electric Redlands Subdivision right-of-way of the Metrolink extension, San Bernardino Associated Governments will connect, by light-rail or Diesel-electric multiple units, the depot and the multimodal transit station to: the Lewis project at the National Orange Show; the Riverfront District (Tippecanoe Ave. & Hospitality Lane); the San Bernardino County Museum at California Street; Citrus Plaza and Tri-City Shopping Center at Alabama Avenue; the E.S.R.I. campus and Jennie Davis Park at New York Street; Downtown Redlands at its historic Santa Fe Depot; and, the University of Redlands.



My pictures documenting the existing resources and assets in many of these areas are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pragmat...t/sets/217620/

Additionally, with the 2007 completion of the last leg of the 210 freeway, the 215 freeway is currently in the process of being expanded and modernized in order to facilitate North-South movement to and from the city center.

The San Bernardino Economic Development Agency is sitting on a proverbial gold mine to the South of the Vision & Action Plan boundaries since the agency owns a huge tract of "greenfield" land there that is intended to serve as a corridor of corporate headquarters, regional offices, and creative-technical campuses organized around one of two lake systems integrated into and immediately adjacent to the existing city center. San Bernardino is sitting on an underground aquifer that is estimated to be the size of Lake Tahoe, and the city has been draining the water, at great expense, to reduce the dangers of liquefaction during an earthquake. But, to sell more of the water to the rest of southern California and to avoid wasting said water, the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District needs to construct control reservoirs. The 215 widening is helping excavate land for the artificial wetlands in the South while more than two-thirds of the property for the North lake has already been purchased.

Beyond the Riverfront District, which currently serves as the new downtown for all intents and purposes, and the revitalized city center, which has been the historic urban core of the entire region since 1810, the uptown area is being remade as the Arrowhead Springs Resort District consolidating and enhancing the broad array of existing tourism assets in the area and expanding upon the 2,000 acres of the historic Arrowhead Springs Hotel, Spa, & Bungalows property from the foothills to the valley floor by developing extensive city-owned lands at Wildwood Park and by better utilizing the flood-control basins in the area and the usually dry East Twin Creek, which, together, create an immense piece of contiguous and developable land that has already been master-planned with a well-honed, fine-grained mix of uses, including a garden-style day spa with a business model similar to that of Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Corona.



















All of these efforts to enhance quality of life and to attract a world-class labor force will work to expedite development of San Bernardino International Airport, which, in addition to other regional transportation hubs, will provide the number of non-stop flights necessary to attract even more interest from major businesses. And, incidentally, San Bernardino International is only a couple of miles away from the proposed route for California High-Speed Rail, so, while the C.H.S.R. Authority rejected years ago a proposal to extend the line to the city center of San Bernardino, a short spur along the Santa Ana River and to and from a functioning SBD airport is entirely conceivable.

[PragmaticIdealist]

Incidentally, 2010 is officially the kick-off of the transitional re-branding effort, which will use the yearlong bicentennial celebration, centered at the proposed Celebration Square, to present San Bernardino as: "Centuries-old and younger than ever." The image the city intends to cultivate is one that is advanced, youthful, and state-of-the-art, supporting both biological health and ecological sustainability. The dominant new artistic and architectural style for the city will be one that carefully and deliberately juxtaposes the old with the new in order to fashion an authentic and cohesive urban fabric that is the collective heritage of the city's history.

[ardecila]

Ambitious. I love it.

[friedpez]

I live about 25 miles west of San Bernardino in Upland. It's always amazed me that the county seat was so lackluster and seemingly underdeveloped, so if they can really pull this off and see substantial success in the next several decades, it'd be really great for the city itself and the entire county. Thanks for sharing!

[PragmaticIdealist]

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.

[PragmaticIdealist]

[PragmaticIdealist]

[PragmaticIdealist]

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by friedpez

I live about 25 miles west of San Bernardino in Upland. It's always amazed me that the county seat was so lackluster and seemingly underdeveloped...

I've only been to downtown San Bernardino once, about 6 years ago or so, just because I was curious and had never been there before. I thought it was a depressing place, with seemingly no economy; I saw lots of vacant storefronts and boarded-up windows. I thought downtown Riverside, though kind of sleepy the two times I've been there, had a way more vibrant atmosphere with more of an economy (relatively speaking). Of course most of the activity in downtown Riverside was around the Mission Hotel.

Good luck to San Bernardino and its ambitious plans.

[PragmaticIdealist]

The old downtown of San Bernardino has not been able to compete very well against the Riverfront District where gobs of Class A office space was added over the last couple of decades.

San Bernardino has relatively low vacancy rates, but of the empty office space there, almost all of it is concentrated in the center of the city.

The city center does have a sizable daytime population, mostly due to all of the major government buildings, including the CalTrans high-rise, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Social Security Administration. And, the County of San Bernardino will make those numbers even more impressive by consolidating operations to realize cost savings and to reduce automobile travel.

EDAW's market analysis found that 5% of these employees are likely to relocate to new residential offerings in the city center where they will not have to use a car to commute.

There are several financial institutions in the city center, as well, even though the Riverfront District now has more.

[IconRPCV]

I hate to say this, but all of these great plans will stay just that, plans. I grew up in Redlands and worked during college throughout San Berdu as a bilingual teacher's aide, and I have to tell you SB is the most depressing, crime ridden, economically challenged place in California. The only way these plans will come to fruition is if the great earthquake destroys the place and they start completely over.

[PragmaticIdealist]

Originally Posted by IconRPCV

I hate to say this, but all of these great plans will stay just that, plans. I grew up in Redlands and worked during college throughout San Berdu as a bilingual teacher's aide, and I have to tell you SB is the most depressing, crime ridden, economically challenged place in California. The only way these plans will come to fruition is if the great earthquake destroys the place and they start completely over.

I'm not sure if you've read the entire thread, but half of these projects are underway as we speak. Tens of billions of dollars of public and private investment have either already been spent, or they're in the pipeline.

A few years ago, I would have definitely agreed with you that the old downtown of San Bernardino was a lost cause. City politicians had a history of what prominent local economist, John Husing, called "Hail Mary" passes that resulted in a professional baseball stadium, multiplex cinemas, and several giant festivals, including this week's annual Route 66 Rendez-vous. No one bothered, it seemed, to invest in a master plan that could guide developers and give them the certainty they need to do their thing. But, the Mayor's office, the Economic Development Agency, and a majority of the Common Council, are much more competent, sophisticated, and professional now. The Mayor, in particular, understands business and the proper, supportive role of government much better than his predecessors ever did. And, surrounding municipalities, including Redlands, understand, too, that the urban core of the region needs to be fixed.

Everyone has an interest in seeing the urban core put back into balance in order for the San Bernardino metroplex to become the engine of economic growth for the State that this area surely can be. The current demographics and image problems are only ephemeral if the relatively-simple flaws in the built environment are solved. So, the focus of the plan is on making improvements to the public realm and not on developing property. Realizing the highest standards in construction and design is essential to the strategy, so quality is being emphasized over quantity. Having said that, there are already students living in new student housing on the campus of American Sports University, which is located on several blocks between 5th and 3rd Streets, right in the city center. San Bernardino State University and Loma Linda University both have plans underway to add their own student and faculty housing developments to the area in order to create the "superuniversity" campus that will come on-line with the completion of sbX in late 2011. Farther West along what is now 4th Street are three new housing developments for retirees, and two more will open in the next couple of years. Another high-rise residential building for empty-nesters exists, at present, a block North of Theatre Square and just South of the existing central library and lecture hall. A grocery anchor currently exists between these developments and is doing very well; however, it will be remodeled and repositioned with a new mix of surrounding retail. American Sports University currently operates a complete gym that is available to the general public on Court Street and Arrowhead Avenue, and that facility will be enhanced and eventually replaced. Additionally, a new state courts complex is being added to the existing county courts complex, which will be replaced, freeing the existing courthouse for adaptive reuse as the termination of the vista along the proposed Heritage Row (currently Court Street). The world-class Robert V. Fullerton Museum of Art and Antiquities is likely to also be moved from its present location to the city center.

Theatre Square, itself, encompasses the California Theatre, which is active almost every night. I saw the touring production of "The Producers" there a couple of months ago, and it was among the best theatrical experiences I've ever had. Additionally, the California serves as the host venue for the San Bernardino Symphony, which, under the direction of Maestro Carlo Ponti, celebrated its 80th anniversary last season. And, about a month ago, the Mighty Wurlitzer organ, one of only eight ever made and the only one still in the venue for which said organ was constructed, was heard for the first time in generations after a long restoration process as part of "An Evening with Harold and Will," a screening of two Silent Era films starring Harold Lloyd and Will Rogers with personal reminiscences by the respective granddaughter and great-granddaughter of both. The California Theatre also recently added to its exterior an animated program of new color-changing L.E.D. floodlights and searchlights that provide a sample of how the rest of Theatre Square will feel. You can see a short video here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pragmat...st/3343368552/

The cinemas already exist, but they are being remodeled. And, new architecture will make them more distinctive. Maya will open them in time for the 2009 holiday season and will finish construction of the two new IMAX screens soon afterward. A couple of the auditoria in the previous configuration will be converted to street-level retail while the new restaurants, the upper-level theatre bar, and the additional retail buildings around the forecourt and along the two new streets are all Maya's projects. Across the street, the Art Deco Woolworth building has been refurbished and The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California will move and expand its existing restaurant to that location in order to create an iconic new establishment at street level. The two existing parking terraces serving the Theatre Square will also be improved with the southernmost structure wrapped with street-level retail and theatre-view lofts. Adjacent to the California Theatre are more existing buildings that have been vacated specifically to allow for upper-floor nightclubs and street-level retail. On the city side of things, Fourth Street will be re-branded, narrowed, and made more pedestrian-friendly as the new freeway on- and off-ramps divert traffic to Fifth Street, which is to become one of the two main East-West arterial greenways.

Besides sbX, 2012 will also see the opening of the new multimodal transit station. An international design competition began several months ago, and San Bernardino wants a robust architectural statement for this anchor project. That year will also see the opening of the Metrolink extension. All of its track improvements have already been completed, and everything is in place right now.

Beyond the investments being made by agencies like CalTrans in this plan, San Bernardino is, additionally, making more prodigious use of tax-increment financing, special-assessment districts, and other such instruments, including some ground-breaking innovations, to fund capital improvements to the public realm.

[PragmaticIdealist]

[BrandonJXN]

Riverside better do something.

[PragmaticIdealist]

Riverside is making progress. The Inland Empire over the next decade is going to look very different, and everyone seems to realize that the population growth here needs to be managed in a much more sophisticated way than it has been in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange Counties

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by PragmaticIdealist

Riverside is making progress. The Inland Empire over the next decade is going to look very different, and everyone seems to realize that the population growth here needs to be managed in a much more sophisticated way than it has been in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange Counties

Well I am glad to see these ambitious plans but population growth in the inland empire has been the least sophisticated. The region has been the worst offender of sprawl in all of CA. I am glad to see the entire area wise up.

[202_Cyclist]

IconRPCV:

I hate to say this, but all of these great plans will stay just that, plans. I grew up in Redlands and worked during college throughout San Berdu as a bilingual teacher's aide, and I have to tell you SB is the most depressing, crime ridden, economically challenged place in California.

Have you been to Stockton?

[PragmaticIdealist]

Originally Posted by dktshb

Well I am glad to see these ambitious plans but population growth in the inland empire has been the least sophisticated. The region has been the worst offender of sprawl in all of CA. I am glad to see the entire area wise up.

I only say that because there's hardly a square inch left in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange Counties left for greenfield development.

All of southern California has been harmed by the freeway system and by the destructive development patterns it gave us. But, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties have the chance to intervene while the coastal counties simply don't have that luxury.

[PragmaticIdealist]

Last Monday, CalTrans and SanBAG held the groundbreaking ceremony for Phases 3 and 4 of the expansion and modernization of the 215 freeway. Phase 2 is still in progress.

The undertaking will excavate land for the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District's 53.7-acre South lake project.

[BrandonJXN]

This is true. As Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ontario, which are regarded as the IE's core cities continue to develop upwards, it'll be interesting to see what the other cities (Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucuamunga, Redlands, Corona) and others will do. Again, the IE needs to start building UP not OUT!