$150M concept by owner of plaza Kroger vacated has apartments, business

Plans submitted to the city for the land — which sits about a mile north of Carroll High School and a mile south of the edge of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — “are my general concept” and could change, Gracia said.

Riverside documents filed by Gracia state “a maximum of 396 residential units” are included in a rezoning request for the property, which Kroger anchored for about 60 years before moving out last year.

The residential development would consist of “all attached one-story apartment dwellings in building configurations ranging from three dwellings to a maximum of eight dwellings per building,” according to city records.

The concept could change depending on several factors, including whether or not underground parking would be permitted, plus the city’s review of the project and if Gracia’s group can secure financing, he said.

“I’ve engaged a team of three different people that are working on securing funding based on what was drawn up by the architect. So, they’re working on possibly getting loans,” Gracia said.

He said a meeting is scheduled next month for the city to review what has been submitted.

“I think at this point, everything is sort of in a holding pattern based on two things: General feedback from the city and be the confirmation of the subterranean” parking issue, Gracia said.

Currently, the concept involves redeveloping the property with about 60% retail/residential and about 40% of “park like” space that could include walking/bike trails and a central area for outdoor gatherings, such as entertainment area, he said.

“This is only a concept and has not been finalized,” Gracia said on a Facebook page dedicated to the property. “The far right of the property is where the plaza currently stands. All the current tenants will be given the opportunity to relocate into the new plaza.”

Gracia held a community meeting in March after he announced plans to redevelop the property.

“There was a lot of confusion and pushback” before the meeting, he said.

About 70 residents showed up, many of them questioning what changes he would make.

Since filing documents with Riverside that outline more specific plans, comments “for the most part are very positive and supportive,” and “I’m very thankful that, you know, the pendulum has in a sense, shifted in direction,” Gracia said.

The land is now zoned B-1 neighborhood business district, Riverside Community Development Director Nia Holt has said. Gracia is seeking to rezone it to a planned unit development, allowing the housing and retail mix.

The documents are a preliminary step in that process and being reviewed by a committee, Holt said. That panel will provide comments, and the project will go before the city’s planning commission after the committee’s comments are addressed, she added.

The issue would then go before Riverside City Council. Council would vote on the rezoning and — if approved — Gracia would submit a final plan requiring planning commission approval, Holt said.