Quote:
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.
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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.
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