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Eastvale highlights Walmart opening, new businesses and retail trends in economic development update
Summary
Economic development staff updated the council on recent business openings including a new ground-up Walmart, several anticipated restaurant openings, and plans for a 2026 economic development dashboard, broker outreach and grant-seeking. Council members praised staff coordination and emphasized recruiting more family restaurants and entertainment options.
Economic development staff presented a quarterly update to the Eastvale City Council, highlighting new and upcoming businesses, retail visit data and four initiatives for 2026 aimed at boosting local business attraction.
Alex, the department presenter, said several new businesses have recently opened or are planning openings in Eastvale, naming Beyond Mart, a Chipotle drive-thru, DaVita dialysis center, FASTSIGNS and Phil’s Coffee, and noting a Walmart store opened earlier that day. Alex said the Walmart was "the first ground up construction Walmart to open in California in 15 years" in the region and cited comparative visit figures for nearby stores while noting the city’s shopping centers continue to draw high annual visits.
On retail trends, Alex cited national survey data indicating about 46% of U.S. families reported spending less because of inflation while 36% reported spending more in the 2025 holiday season, and suggested those trends inform the city’s business-attraction approach. Alex described four planned initiatives for 2026: an online economic development dashboard, site- and industry-specific attraction materials, expanded regional broker outreach, and promotion of local hiring.
Council members and the city manager praised staff and business partners for the Walmart opening. City Manager Mark said corporate staff were "exceedingly helpful throughout this process," and council members noted the grand opening was well attended. Council member McMinn added that Walmart brought a larger-than-usual corporate contingent and said the event "put Eastvale on the map" for some national executives.
Council members also asked about data transparency and timetables for anticipated openings such as Tacos Los Cholos; Alex said no firm date was available but staff will continue to provide updates. Staff said a newsletter can list top sales-tax generators by name without publishing dollar amounts.
Next steps: staff will proceed with the four initiatives, continue outreach to brokers and regional partners, pursue federal earmark opportunities and continue community-facing events such as an economic development presence at the Lantern Festival and a hospitality tour planned for spring.
