The Commission unanimously approved a veterinary clinic and multiple residential projects, paving the way for housing growth and neighborhood improvements.
The five-acre commercial development on California Street will bring new lodging, dining and service options to the East Valley Corridor.
Redlands East Valley High did not have to look far for a new baseball coach. The new man is Brandon
The five-acre commercial development on California Street will bring new lodging, dining and service options to the East Valley Corridor.
REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands Planning Commission unanimously approved plans for a 90-room hotel, a drive-through coffee shop and a car wash on a long-vacant site along California Street, about 500 feet south of Interstate 10.
Why it matters: The project is expected to generate nearly $300,000 in surplus revenue for the city annually, while adding jobs and enhancing commercial activity in a key gateway corridor.
Details: The proposal from JD Fuel LLC will transform approximately five acres at 913 California Street into a mixed-use commercial hub. The site plan includes:
A water quality basin will also occupy the northwest corner of the property, and the design incorporates more than 35% landscaping, including 186 trees and a variety of shrubs, which exceeds East Valley Corridor Specific Plan requirements. Access will be provided via a new signalized intersection and a secondary right-in/right-out driveway on California Street.
The socio-economic cost/benefit study prepared for the development projects annual revenues of $341,708 versus annual costs of $43,790, resulting in a positive surplus of $297,918.
Project concerns: Public comments were received from Adams, Broadwell, Joseph & Cardozo, attorneys representing Californians Allied for a Responsible Economy (CARE California). They raised concerns about air quality, noise, health risks from construction and contamination at the site. Andrew Graf of the law firm stated, “The city must prepare an EIR that fully analyzes and mitigates the PCA contamination, along with all the other significant impacts that we've identified.”
The environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act resulted in a Mitigated Negative Declaration. City staff confirmed that “all impacts related to air quality, energy and noise would be less than significant and no mitigation would be required.”
Ryan Bensley, the principal environmental planner for LSA Associates and one of the consultants working with the project, shared that a big difference between the health risk assessment prepared by the city’s consultant and the one prepared by CARE is that the attorney group had assumed that certain construction equipment would be running 24-hours a day, which is incorrect.
Commissioner Mark Stanson also expressed concerns about heavy traffic in the area, however city staff noted that the project will not negatively impact traffic. They added that it is also not the responsibility of the project to solve the existing traffic problem there.
What they’re saying: “We estimate that we’ll be able to provide the local community around 40 new full and part-time jobs,” said John Heimann of Heimann Development Group, a partner of JD Fuel. “The developers are also very particular about hiring residents, local residents for their businesses.”
Moving forward: Construction will be divided into two phases, beginning with a new traffic signal, access improvements and initial site work.
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