BY GLENN FREEMAN
Eastvale – A giant cow statue in downtown Eastvale?
Such could become reality if Eastvale officials, developers, market forces, and the owner of a prime piece of real estate at Limonite and Hamner avenues work together in planning its future development.
The site at the center of attention is the 160 acre Leal property, which sits in the heart of Eastvale – an aspect not overlooked by city officials, who envision it ideal for a mixed-use, “regional destination” type project. Officials are hoping development of the site will create a legacy for the young city.
“This property represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design an iconic project for the city,” said City Manager Carol Jacobs. “Creating a major new project here is critical to Eastvale’s long-term success.”
The 160-acre Leal property is located at the northwest corner of Limonite and Hamner avenues in Eastvale. (Courtesy City of Eastvale)
Eastvale has started work on a specific plan for the property, a plan designed to guide development on the site with greater detail based upon zoning as outlined within the city’s general plan. As part of the process, city staff began asking residents via an online poll in January for their input of what they’d like to see on the property.
From nearly 2,000 responses received, the top suggestions were: lifestyle center (1,511 votes / 76.7% vote total), a downtown village (612 / 31.1%), and enclosed regional mall (502 / 25.5%). Other suggestions included, hospital/medical center (273 / 13.9%), civic uses (232 / 11.8%), and university/college (171 / 8.7%). Also proposed by 45 (2.3%) of the respondents was a giant cow statue, no doubt a nod to the city’s request for something “iconic.”
The results, revealed during a public workshop on Feb. 26, are likely to please city leaders, who are promoting the specific plan as a way to ensure the property generates a high rate of return, both in a community sense as well as in a fiscal sense.
During the Feb. 26 workshop, a presentation prepared for the city by consultant PMC weighed the feasibility and fiscal impacts of the suggestions submitted. Using competitive market/demographic analysis, PMC rated the downtown village/town center and the hotel/resort alternatives as the most likely and best use options. Although rated high on the fiscal return end, less feasible was found to be the lifestyle center, enclosed regional mall, concert venue, and sports stadium. Another suggestion – civic uses (city hall, etc.) – rated high on the feasibility aspect, but low in the fiscal return portion. At the bottom of the list – receiving low marks for both feasibility and fiscal impact – were university/college and the giant cow statue.
Although many residents and city officials hope to see the site used for a regional type project, whether that becomes reality remains to be seen, and is likely many years in the making. According to the city, the Leal family has owned the land and operated a dairy on the site for approximately 40 years. Officials say they are working with the family to achieve a development based upon the specific plan now underway that will benefit both the community and the city.
In the public presentation, FMC pointed out the need for residents and officials alike to think “outside of the box” beyond traditional retail and big box uses, which have been impacted by the growing trend of online shopping. However, the report stated, “place making, entertainment and consumption is the key – you can’t eat over the internet and you can’t drink online.”
The city will now draft a vision plan to be reviewed at a follow-up public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 26 at Rosa Parks Elementary School.
The proposed specific plan and a detailed environmental impact report for the Leal property are expected to be released in early fall 2014, with final approval scheduled for early 2015. The city has set up a website (www.lealspecificplan.com) for residents to stay informed during the process.
