The San Bernardino City Council on September 21 unanimously voted to enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) with Rich Development Enterprises, LLC. to develop a 17.4-acre site that will include national retailers Target, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Burlington, along with space allocated for an additional retailer, four restaurant pads, and a gas station/convenience store. The property to be developed is located on Highland Avenue adjacent to the 210 Freeway, between Arden Avenue and Guthrie Avenue in the northeast part of San Bernardino. The City-owned site is known by many as the Arden-Guthrie property.
“We are honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to create an exceptional place for the community of San Bernardino,” said Joseph Rich, General Partner of Rich Development. “It has been an absolute pleasure working with the city throughout this process.”
The conceptual proposal calls for 226,000 square feet of commercial space, with primary access to the center coming from Highland and Arden Avenues. This will be the second Target store in San Bernardino, joining one on Orange Show Road. The nearest Sprouts location is currently in Redlands.
“This project speaks to the higher level of development coming to San Bernardino,” said City Manager Robert Field. “I applaud our economic development team and Rich Development for coming together these past few months and getting this deal done.”
Rich Development officials estimate that in addition to several hundred construction jobs, the center will create between 500 and 600 permanent jobs.
“This is yet another opportunity for our residents to shop local and work local,” said Mayor John Valdivia. “I am excited that this developer and these national retailers have chosen to invest here. The re-birth of San Bernardino continues.”
The City of San Bernardino declared the property as surplus land in June 2021. Under the Surplus Land Act, the City first made the property available to other public agencies and then for affordable housing, however, no viable offers were received. The City then sought proposals from other developers, and in June the City Council selected the proposal from Rich Development. City staff and Rich Development have been negotiating the ENA since then.
The ENA is for a period of six months with the option of two 90-day extensions. During that period, the agreement calls for specific milestones to be met to ensure the project is moving forward. If the terms of the agreement are met, the City will sell the property to Rich Development, who will in turn develop the property based upon City-approved specifications.
Rich Development Enterprises, LLC. is a San Pedro-based commercial development company with over 4,000,000 square feet and over $1.5 billion of developed retail property in California and the Western United States. Their developments include retail tenants such as Target, Ross, Marshalls, Old Navy, and Ralphs.