City to hear proposals for development of Carousel Mall site

Carousel Mall in the Heart of San Bernardino sits empty as a tomb and rotting like a bad tooth in need of extraction.  But exactly who should foot the bill and what should be redeveloped in its place is a matter that has long been controversial and no proposal has met with any shortage of critics.  Shortly two development companies will be presenting plans for what they believe should be the new life for that property.

According to a City Document:

On May 15, 2019, the Mayor and the City Council authorized the City Manager to proceed with a Request for Qualifications soliciting interest from regional and national developers in the redevelopment of the Carousel Mall property. This process was conducted through a Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) process so that staff could evaluate the qualifications of each developer, their respective design professional team, their project history, and their financial capacity to carry out a project of this magnitude. On December 4, 2019, the Mayor and City Council selected three candidates to proceed to the Request for Proposal (“RFP”) process. Those candidates included:

1. SCG America
2. Renaissance Downtown USA
3. ICO Real Estate Group

In spring of 2020, the City received two proposals for the Mayor and City Council to consider. One proposal was from SCG America and the second was a joint submittal from both Renaissance Downtown America and ICO Real Estate Group. 1 Packet Pg. 6 7075 Page 2 On October 28, 2020, the Mayor and City Council conducted a Study Session…

The SCG America Proposal is as follows:

“The Galand will bring approximate 2,252,550 square feet of mixed-use development including 1,875 units of multi-family residences, 38,800 square feet of retail, 54,800 square feet of food and beverage, 24,000 square feet of entertainment uses, a 40,000 square feet fitness center, two office buildings of 202,000 square feet in total and a 150-key boutique hotel and a 150-unit condotel sharing amenities in the same building. Over 8,000 square feet of space in the renovated Mall building is dedicated to community use which is connected to an outdoor community garden. The focal point of the project is a vibrant two-acre green open space, Galand Green, attracting residents and visitors with shaded seating areas, a great lawn, landscaped pathways, F Stage, and Mist Plaza. It is programmed with events all year long such as holiday celebrations, summer movie nights, concerts, and a farmers’ market…”

The Renaissance ICO Plan is to build what they entitle – “Equitable Transit Oriented Development.”

According to their proposal… “. Our concept envisions 2,000 to 3,500 residential units within the overall Carousel Mall Site, along with appropriate market-driven retail and office components. As a phased development model, it is adaptable to the ever-changing needs of all asset classes in the new norm. The redevelopment will position the City as a vibrant, healthy, and walkable downtown through the creation of a live, work, shop, learn, and play environment. San Bernardino’s outstanding transit hub provides connectivity to downtown L.A. and additional locations. The new ARROW rail connection between Redlands and San Bernardino is scheduled to open in the near future, representing yet another mobility enhancement to the City’s current transit system. The advent of this rail connection provides a significant opportunity for the City to emerge as THE destination for the Inland Empire. The Carousel Mall area will become a catalyst for the expansion…”

“The idea that Downtown Irvine is going to spring forth from the carousel mall site in San Bernardino like Athena from the forehead of Zeus is ludicrous and putting so much faith in things that are not even remotely possible right now like massive-gyms and crowded entertainment venues is somewhat crazy and what exactly is the luxury hotel market in San Bernardino right now anyway? said Dr. Adrian Moore Vice-President of the Reason Foundation and expert in government finance.

He went on to say that “The other proposal is more reasonable and seems to have an eye towards the fact that right now the realistic opportunity is to start developing something that brings higher-income residents to San Bernardino who are commuting somewhere else to work and are likely taking advantage of better housing prices in San Bernardino.”

Heroic visions, but difficult to deliver is the way one developer familiar with the project stated their thoughts on both visions but also placed a nod of credibility towards the second option.  The fact is they stated that the rents and housing prices are not going to support much high-end development. “The best amenity for a downtown is people so build what the market demands and then work to attract what the people need in terms of services that they can afford…”

The workshop is set for Wednesday January 27^th.