SAN DIEGO—Stratford Land's Millenia, envisioned as the future city center of South County, is part of a master plan approved back in 1980s, and crafting the standards for it was no easy task, Meridian Development's EVP Todd Galarneau tells GlobeSt.com. As we recently reported, Meridian is responsible for managing the development of the 210-acre master plan for property owner Stratford, and Galarneau has headed up the planning effort for Millenia for the past decade. We spoke exclusively with Galarneau about the project and the challenges to developing a project of this magnitude.

GlobeSt.com: What is unique for you about this project?

Galarneau: This is a project that is located in the heart of the Otay Ranch master plan in Chula Vista. The master plan was approved back in the 1980s and contemplated smart growth and sustainable development before those terms were even in vogue. The master plan was to create 25 to 30 homes, to create a Downtown eastern urban center. It was very forward thinking, and it was a pioneering project in the South Bay market. It deals with a very intense mixture of land uses: horizontal development, a high-intensity town center, 3,000 multifamily units, condos and lofts, an affordable-housing component and 3.5 million square feet of commercial space including hotels, retail and office. It was approved back in 2009, in the middle of the recession, so it sat for a couple of years. In 2011, a new joint-venture partner was brought on, Stratford Land out of Dallas, which bought out McMillin's interest in the project in January of this year. Stratford now has 100% ownership of the project, and our company has been managing it for them. It's a highly sustainable project, walkable, includes a mix of land uses and is very pioneering for the Chula Vista market.

GlobeSt.com: Tell us about the approval process.

Galarneau: It was a learning curve, both for us and for the City. We were learning what standards need to be put in place for urban development in a suburban setting. Entitlement took three and a half years. When the master plan was put in place, there was a tentative map, and the entitlements were extraordinarily unique. A testament to the partnership we have with the City is the flexibility built into the plan that allows us to respond to market conditions and changes in consumer preferences. It's critical if a project is going to take 10 to 15 years to build out. It took us a little bit longer because of the unique standards, but we did a lot of community outreach, brought in business groups, and did dozens and dozens of presentations, and ultimately, we saw unanimous approvals through the public-hearing process, which is unusual. During the two or three hearings, only one person presented in opposition to the project. We're continuing to move forward with the strong political support of city staff—this partnership is key to moving forward.

GlobeSt.com: What are the challenges to developing this type of project?

Galarneau: Crafting the standards was really challenging. It was new for the City and for us as developers. McMillin had done Liberty Station, and it was a good lesson—good examples were taken from that. When you're developing urban standards appropriate for a project in a suburban setting, you're also creating entitlements that need to be developed. Doing that size project means you really need to build into the higher-density residential and taller commercial buildings—you're trying to create entitlements to allow the project to develop into its later intense phases.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about the project?

Galarneau: We've gotten LEED certified for its neighborhood-development program for master-planned communities.