The 420-unit, $50 million luxury apartment development at 7950 Etiwanda Ave., north of Foothill Boulevard, is being managed for Empire by Western National Management Co., which reports that a quarter of the units have been leased with construction not expected to be completed until June. The development is the first multifamily project for Ontario-based Empire Commercial, which was launched in January 2002. The company has already developed retail, office and self-storage projects in the region.

The Barrington Place apartments reflect the company's plan for bringing upscale multifamily development to the Inland Empire, says Jim Brooks, president of Empire. Brooks cites the higher income Inland Empire residents looking for rentals in the region, where other developers have also entered the luxury apartment market in recent years in response to changing Inland Empire demographics.

Empire Commercial's new apartment development consists of one- and two-story buildings with units that feature high-speed internet, live-work lofts, furnished kitchens, enclosed parking in attached garages, a volleyball court, horseshoe rings, resort-style pools and spas, fitness centers, a tot lot a basketball court, and 12 acres of open space.

Empire recently broke ground on its second apartment project, Lasselle Place, a 304-unit, $30 million luxury development at the northwest corner of Lasselle and Iris avenues in Moreno Valley, where leasing is expected to begin in the spring.

Empire's portfolio now exceeds 2 million sf, and the company is aiming for further expansion during 2004, with $25 million committed to acquiring new retail properties in 2004. Brooks says its primary targets will be grocery- and drug-anchored neighborhood retail centers from Sacramento to San Diego. Its existing retail holdings include the Village at Eagle Glen in Corona, and it is developing other retail projects that include Lakeside Plaza and Lakeside Terrace in Moreno Valley, Sierra Crossroads in South Fontana, and a yet-to-be-named retail center in North Fontana.