The City of Fontana is located in Southern California’s Inland Empire region. The history of this region started in the early 1800’s from Spanish Land Grants. The primary industry was livestock and agriculture. This was all changed in 1941 when the Kaiser Steel Mill opened to supply steel for ship building during World War II, and later, for construction of buildings and infrastructure throughout the West. The little agricultural township of Fontana grew and became a bustling community with a vibrant and healthy downtown. In 1952, the City of Fontana was incorporated around the present Downtown Area. With the advent of the freeway system in the mid-fifties, shopping patterns changed as retailers moved from downtown to be closer to the “freeway off-ramps.” Compounding the situation, Kaiser Steel, the largest employer in the region, closed its doors in 1985, which devastated the City. Thousands lost their jobs and homes. The City itself suffered with abandoned homes and shuttered retail shops.

The Downtown area rapidly deteriorated, barely surviving through the 1990s. The recent interest in reviving the downtown can largely be attributed to “Baby Boomers” wanting to return to their roots, and the general disinterest in regional malls. With the vision of the Mayor and City Council, the City implemented a recovery plan that would start to rebuild the population and the City. Today, the City of Fontana is the 7th fastest growing community in the United States, and the third fastest in California.

By 2002, Fontana’s Downtown was in poor shape and needed revitalization. Property owners were not inclined to make needed improvements to their buildings. The challenge was to achieve the goals that were set down by the City Council: (1) create a safe and attractive Downtown, (2) revitalize the economic energy that was once there, (3) create a friendly family and community atmosphere, and (4) nurture and support the business community as it makes its recovery. To achieve the goals of the Council, a non-traditional Façade Program approach was necessary.

Most city façade programs seem to include matching dollar investment, forgivable grants, and “not to exceed” dollar amount programs. In most cases 100% participation was rarely achievable resulting in only moderate, and largely unnoticed or unremarkable, improvement. The City of Fontana opted to implement a façade renovation program in the Core downtown area, along Sierra Avenue, that would have a maximum visual impact. As a first step towards downtown revitalization, passersby needed to “see” a new look to the downtown. Maximum control over the entire process was paramount. A three-phase, multiyear program was prepared, and each year a separate block of facades along Sierra Avenue would be renovated. The City also decided to use Redevelopment Agency revenues to completely fund the entire three block façade renovation. The property and business owners are not responsible for design or construction costs. The next challenge was to secure an 18” Façade Easement from the property owners. The City would “own” the first 18 inches of each building front on the block for a period of ten years. The property owner would receive back 10% ownership of the building facade every year, achieving total re-ownership in the tenth year. The property owner is required to maintain the new façade and is subject to City ordinances regarding signage, music, banners, temporary signs, and lighting. If the property or business changes ownership or character, the new owner/tenant is responsible for new signage and lighting costs. Any changes to the facades would be subject to City approval.

In discussions with the project architect, the RRM Design Group, several thematic styles were considered. It was decided that the 1950’s style of architecture with modern color schemes would be the theme throughout the three phases of the project. The finished Phase 1 block of facades has been a unanimous success with property and business owners, and Fontana citizens, all giving it a hearty “thumbs-up.” Several of the business owners have already seen an increase in their business traffic. Other businesses have done interior tenant improvements to their buildings. It was the hope that this project would inspire the business and property owners to follow the City’s lead in improving their properties and business image. Phase 1 of the Façade Program has proven the premise that, if the City directly controlled the Façade Program, it could achieve the desired quality and consistency that the City Council and the community expected.

The Redevelopment Agency is funding the Façade Renovation program including the architectural fees and construction costs. Phase 1 construction costs for nine businesses totaled $670,000. The average facade improvement cost was about $50,000 per business. Two buildings received more treatment than the others. In one case, a dark, windowless bar was renovated to include full length windows to the street in an effort to create a more open, ‘sports bar’ appearance. The other was a City owned building (formerly a bar, but with a full kitchen) that received more extensive renovations in hopes of attracting a restaurant.

The impact of the Façade Program in Fontana cannot be measured immediately for it is part of a greater effort by the City to revitalize the entire Downtown District. In the short term, the Façade Program has given property owners, the merchants, and Downtown resident’s confidence that they are part of the revitalization of the greater Fontana community. The City Council is investing over $100 million in various Downtown projects. This, in itself, will have a tremendous impact on improving and revitalizing the core of the city. Downtown projects like the Fontana Regional Library; four phases of senior housing; a multi-purpose entertainment dinner theater; and the 3 phase façade program are investments in the revitalization of what was once a vibrant center of community growth and social interaction. The scheduled special events in Downtown contribute to the overall quality of life that was part of the spirit and vitality of the community and its residents.

The innovative approach that the Fontana has taken with the façade renovation program is both unique, and the concept is easily transferred to other communities. Fontana wanted to create a successful program that would impact the residents, property, and business owners. The approach is simple in its structure but, the City faced some rather daunting challenges. First, we had to prove to the property owners that the City was sincere in its intention to improve the Downtown area. This is because of previous “promises” and even specific attempts some 25 years ago by the City to do a façade program. That was a 50/50 grant program that attempted to encourage the general business community to make the decisions regarding architectural theme, paint color, and signage. As was typical of this type of approach, not everyone could agree and consequently the overall goal and finished project fell far short of expectations. The second challenge was that the current property owners simply had no interest in making the financial investment in their building. Third, they just did not believe the City would follow through.

History is a great teacher and with that thought the City determined it would retain control, pay for the entire project, obtain the façade easements from the property owners, choose the architectural look, and establish the maintenance protocols. This approach turned out to be a winning solution and has gained the enthusiastic support of the property and business owners. With the successful completion of Phase 1, the City is already moving forward with the next phase. An early indication of success is that most of the Phase 2 property owners signed their easement agreements (giving up control of their facades) within a week.