California Construction News staff writer
The City of Ontario has taken another step forward with the plan to transform its downtown, taking control of historic Euclid Avenue from the state. This move unlocks new possibilities for improving the area’s main north-south corridor.
Plans include creating more green spaces, better traffic lights, and clearer signs. Euclid Avenue stretches from the I-10 freeway to Merrill Avenue, featuring a preserved median.
Officials say the focus is on creating a lively, round-the-clock environment. This includes new housing, shops, dining spots like Mule Car Smokehouse in the renovated Bank of Italy building, and a rooftop venue called El Balcon for tapas and music. These additions aim to make downtown Ontario a regional hotspot.
Nearby, projects like adaptive reuse on North Euclid Avenue and new mixed-use developments promise more housing and retail options. Infrastructure improvements, like a new fire station, expanded parking, and office space, are also underway to attract more people and investment.
Two new mixed-use developments on the C and D blocks of Euclid will add more than 250 residential units and 11,000 square feet of retail space to the downtown mix. Construction is underway now. Additional housing efforts include 28 luxury townhomes being built at 120 West D St. The University of La Verne, which operates a College of Law in downtown Ontario, will build a new College of Health offering bachelors and masters degrees in nursing, Kinesiology and other health sciences.
The city is currently constructing a new fire station headquarters, a new 700-plus space parking structure, and a new city office building as part of a redevelopment of the Civic Center Campus. Plans also include the relocation of the Ontario-Montclair School District Headquarters. All of these projects will bring new life and an increased population to downtown and act as catalysts for further development and investment.
Connecting all of these elements is a modern transportation network that includes the nearly completed expansion of the nearby Interstate 10 Freeway to include Express Lanes, the 100% zero-emission West Valley Connector bus-rapid transit system, and, with the ownership transfer, improvements to Euclid Avenue.
Improving transportation is key too, with upgrades to Interstate 10 and a new bus system, alongside the Euclid Avenue improvements.
For more on Ontario’s downtown transformation, click this link.
