HomeMy WebLinkAboutPresentation - Carousel Mall Eval Options 10.28.20Title: Study Session – Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Presented by:
Robert D. Field, City Manager, and
Michael Huntley, Director of Community and Economic Development
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Study Session – Carousel Mall
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
History of the Carousel Mall (formerly Central City Mall)
In the 1960s, Downtown San Bernardino was in decline
Regional Mall development was a new commercial trend in the U.S.
The Central City Mall was a Redevelopment Agency project that would occupy
44 acres of downtown requiring major demolition of 4 commercial blocks
The Mall included 3 major anchors and 52 in-line stores with at grade and
structured parking
The Mall opened its doors in 1973 to much fanfare
In 1991, the Mall was rebranded as the Carousel Mall with the inclusion of a
Carousel in the center court of the mall
In 2017, the Mall closed its doors to the public
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
BACKGROUND
Contributing factors that led to the decline of the Carousel Mall
(formerly Central City Mall)
Proximity to the Inland Center Mall
Development of Hospitality Lane Corridor and the relocation of businesses from
Downtown
Closure of the Norton Air Force Base
Closure of Kaiser Steel
Closure of Santa Fe Rail Yard
Relocation of Federal and State Courthouses
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Master Planning Attempts
Development Concepts
Court Street West Specific Plan (February 2007) - Perkowitz + Ruth/FORMA
San Bernardino Downtown Core Visions and Action Plan (June 2009) –
EDAW/AECOM
Carousel District Specific Plan (June 2017) – AECOM/Fransen
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Downtown Study Area
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
2009 Downtown Core
Vision and Action
Plan
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Most Recent Actions
November 2014 – Solicitation of Interest Letter to interested developers
November 2015 – AECOM/Fransen selected and the City executed an Exclusive
Negotiation Agreement leading to an agreement to evaluate/master plan the
Carousel Mall and Theater Square
2018 – AECOM/Fransen no longer worked on the Carousel Mall and focused
their attention on the Theater Square Master Plan
May 2019 – The City Council directed staff to prepare a Request for
Qualifications to solicit interest from developers
December 2019 – Staff presented the results and City Council directed staff to
have the top three developers compete through a Request For Proposal process
Current Status – Final proposals are ready for presentation to the Mayor, City
Council and Community
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Options For Consideration
Option 1: Stay the Course
Select a Preferred Developer to work with the City
Negotiate and execute an Exclusive Negotiation Agreement for a term of 12 to
18 months
Both the City and the Preferred Developer work through their due diligence
period and work towards the execution of a Purchase and Sales Agreement
(PSA) or similar agreement
Either execute a PSA or go back out to the market
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Options For Consideration
Option 2: Evaluate Demolition Requirements and Costs
Review the Restrictions and Easement Agreement (REA)
Review the existing Parking Agreements (5 in total)
Evaluate the environmental conditions on the property (soils contamination,
asbestos and lead based paint). Remediation may be a component of the future
demolition phase.
Assess impacts to adjoining buildings (i.e., Harris Department Store and
Enterprise Building)
Evaluate off-site infrastructure for the redevelopment of the mall property
Prepare demolition cost estimates
Establish Phasing Plans for future demolition activities
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Carousel Mall Site Layout
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Utility Assessment
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Auto Center Facility
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Adjoining Buildings
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Options For Consideration
Option 3: Integration of the Downtown Specific Plan Preparation
Preparation of the Downtown Specific Plan
Preparation of a Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR)
Note: Both the evaluation of the demolition of the Carousel Mall and the future
demolition can run in tandem with the preparation of the Downtown Specific Plan.
The developers that submitted proposals should participate in the visioning
workshops that will culminate in the final vision and development parameters for
Downtown and the Carousel Mall.
Evaluating Options for the Carousel Mall
Options For Consideration
Option 4: Select Options 2 and 3
Will allow the City to understand the true cost of demolition and potential
remediation of the Carousel Mall property.
The demolition of the Mall will create a site that is ready for development.
Adoption of a Downtown Specific Plan will create development standards that
take the risk out of the development of the Carousel Mall.
The preparation of a Program EIR will allow a developer to proceed without the
typical lengthy environmental review process associated with entitlements.
In total, these actions create a much more marketable property for the
development industry.
Questions and Open Dialog