'McDonald's' Shopping Center Supported by Planning Commission

After some changes and redesign, a proposed retail center that has generated some controversy, got the approval of Loma Linda’s Planning Commission on Wednesday night.

Developers propose to build the commercial center on the corner of Mountain View Avenue and Barton Road. The design heads to the City Council for consideration in December.

If approved, the tree-lined center would include space for two retail stores, a Chase Bank and a McDonald’s. There will be an outdoor seating areas, and both Chase and McDonald’s have agreed to set aside some of the traditional architecture in their buildings in favor of using stone façade.

The developer, The Koenig Company, said they are also planning to preserve as many of the citrus trees in the area as they can. They will add more landscaping and create wide walkways to allow pedestrian traffic as the commission had recommended, city officials said.

“Thank you for following the recommendations,” Planning Commission vice chairwoman Lori Uber-Zak told developers. “It is lovely and it is a plaza you would want to visit.”

City officials hope this is the start of more retail development. The goal of attracting more commercial development is written into the city’s general plan.

“The proposed development is desirable for the development of the community and is in harmony with various elements of the general plan,” according to a staff report. It will also help the city keep tax money in Loma Linda rather than to its neighboring cities.

The center has had its critics because of the McDonald’s. Several locals spoke to the commission in June against allowing the eatery into the city because, they said, they felt the restaurant did not fit with the city’s health conscious reputation.