City Council approves new Target, Sprouts anchored development

Last week the San Bernardino City Council voted unanimously to enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) with Rich Development Enterprises, LLC. to develop the Arden-Guthrie property. The City-owned site is located on Highland Avenue adjacent to the 210 Freeway, between Arden Avenue and Guthrie Avenue in the northeast part of San Bernardino.

Rich Development’s proposal for the 17.4-acre site calls for 226,000 square feet of commercial space for 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.

This will be the second Target store in San Bernardino, joining one on Orange Show Road. The nearest Sprouts location is currently in Redlands.

Rich Development officials estimate that in addition to several hundred construction jobs, the center will create between 500 and 600 permanent jobs.

The City of San Bernardino declared the Arden-Guthrie 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.