Council approves 138‑home Foothill‑Macy Route 66 residential project; developer and residents seek infrastructure assurances

The San Bernardino Mayor and City Council voted unanimously to approve a package of entitlements for the Foothill and Macy Route 66 residential project in Ward 6, including a mitigated negative declaration, a general plan amendment (GPA 24‑01), a zoning map amendment, tentative tract map 20695 and a development permit for a planned unit development (PUD). The council also introduced the first reading of the ordinance to rezone the site and scheduled the second reading for Aug. 6.

What the project would do: Staff and the developer described a 15.71‑acre PUD at the northwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and Macy Street proposing 138 single‑family units in clustered ‘‘motor‑court’’ layouts. Plans shown to council include six floor plans (three‑ to five‑bedroom homes), three architectural styles and common open spaces, on‑site guest parking and landscaping. The subdivision would create lots ranging from roughly 2,400 to 4,100 square feet; home sizes were presented between about 2,325 and 3,076 square feet.

Public comment and council questions - Speakers from the community urged more affordable ownership options and raised concerns about infrastructure and nearby services. Dolores Armstead asked whether the local streets, water and other infrastructure already support 138 homes and whether homes would be offered for sale rather than converted to rentals; city staff and the developer said the project is expected to be market homes for sale and that the developer intends to make the site shovel‑ready to attract a national homebuilder. - A representative of the San Bernardino County Youth Advisory Board and a local resident told the council adaptive residential projects can reduce blight and provide housing options compared with vacant properties. - Council members pressed the developer and staff on topics including traffic, entry and emergency access, park and amenity plans, and coordination with economic development to attract future commercial services to serve new residents.

Developer remarks and market expectations - The landowner/developer reported that the property was previously proposed for truck parking and that, after community outreach, they repositioned the site for residential use. The developer said a national builder had shown interest but recently paused due to market conditions; the developer said the family business plans to get the project shovel‑ready and expects to market the homes for sale rather than as a rental product.

Council action and implementation - Staff recommended adopting the mitigated negative declaration, approving the GPA, introducing the ordinance for rezoning, adopting the subdivision resolution and approving the development permit; the council followed staff recommendations and voted to approve the package and to schedule the ordinance second reading on Aug. 6.

Provenance: Planning staff presentation (transcript excerpt at 2014.94–2045.93) and vote confirmation (transcript excerpt at 3712.66–3713.96).