Developer Plans 80-Acre, Theater-Anchored Project

HIGHLAND, CA-Mission Development Co. of Loma Linda expects to break ground early next year on an 80-acre mixed-use retail and housing project called Greenspot Village & Marketplace, according to CB Richard Ellis, which is marketing the space in the center on behalf of Mission. The project, slated for a site near the interchange of the 30 and 210 freeways, will include a theater-anchored retail component, between 600 and 800 housing units and a grocery-anchored center.Scheduled for completion at the end of 2006, the center will occupy a development site along Fifth Street east of the 30 Freeway and visible from the 30/210 freeways interchange. In addition, Mission Development and the city will complete improvements to Fifth Street, which will be renamed Greenspot Road.Retail specialists Sandie Smith and Mark Illsley of the Ontario office of CB Richard Ellis, who represent Mission Development, say that Greenspot Marketplace will "provide a much-needed solution to some of the retail challenges currently facing local residents as well as those living in the north end of San Bernardino and mountain communities." Greenspot Village will allow residents who travel south toward San Bernardino for entertainment and/or shopping to take advantage of the access that the 30/210 Freeway provides, avoiding the 215 and 10 Freeway congestion, the CBRE brokers say.The movie theater operator plans to open initially with 12 to 14 screens, possibly with room for expansion. This will provide local residents with an alternative to Redlands, where theaters are so busy that patrons must routinely buy tickets hours in advance of popular movies. The theater operator hasn't been announced, but the brokers say an announcement is imminent. Besides the theater, other tenants at the center will include regional retailers and restaurants as well as neighborhood services such as a bank, a dry cleaner, a cellular store, and drive-through coffee and fast-food restaurants. According to Glenn Elssmann, managing partner of Mission Development Co., "The interest from retailers has been tremendous."CBRE's Smith says that a national grocery co-anchor is expected to be announced soon. The grocery store plans to locate adjacent to the village center, on the northwest corner of Fifth Street and Boulder Avenue.