The transformative mixed-use building, designed by AO, celebrates historic and modern architecture, setting the stage for the urban renaissance of Downtown Riverside 

Finding the delicate balance between historic preservation and modern renewal, AO, a leading full-service architecture firm with design expertise spanning the full commercial real estate spectrum, is celebrating the completion of The Mark, a mixed-use seven-story residential and retail building in the heart of Riverside’s historic core.

After nearly a decade in development, The Mark now sits proudly across from the neighborhood favorite Fox Theater and is steps from the historic Mission Inn Hotel. The design preserves the unified 1926 façade of the former Stalder Building where once stood three structures (the city’s first fire station, a livery stable and an automobile dealership) and restores many of the original character details including urn-shaped finials, small cartouches, and beam and pulley from the original fire station. The renewed façade has been transformed into 20,000 square feet of retail space hosting street-level boutiques and restaurants, integrated with a modern seven-story podium project that houses 165 apartments ranging from studio to three-bedroom units.

“We worked closely with the preservation society and a historic consultant to ensure that we restored as much as possible of G. Stanley Wilson’s original Mission Revival facade,” said Michael Heinrich, Principal at AO. “Our intent was to showcase the ornate beauty of the original design by providing a modern counterpoint with the contemporary residential building.”

In addition to the historic restoration of the Stalder Building, The Mark is an important catalyst for the urban renaissance of downtown Riverside. The vision called for the revitalization of the historic core, which was achieved through thoughtful design emphasizing urban blocking, active streetscapes, and the pedestrian experience.

“After nearly a decade in development, we are extremely pleased to see the completion of The Mark which couldn’t have come together without the leadership and vision of Mark Rubin and the team at Regional Properties,” said RC Alley, Managing Partner at AO. “The design was very much a collaborative effort involving many stakeholders dedicated to creating a place that represents the history and future of downtown Riverside, and I think that The Mark really demonstrates that.”

The Mark boasts a robust mix of family-friendly amenities including a fitness facility, event lounge with sports simulator, three roof decks and two interior courtyards, all of which are sited to emphasize connection to the active streetscape. Sitting above the historic façade on the third level, a resort-style pool deck overlooks Mission Inn Avenue providing direct views to the adjacent Fox Theater, while a glass-bottom sky deck along 6th and Market Streets allows for panoramic city views and an incredible vantage point overlooking the Historic Mission Inn.

Named for accomplished local developer Mark Rubin, the project is the last of his many contributions to the city. He was extensively involved in design and development of The Mark until his passing in 2021. Rubin, a holocaust survivor and significant donor to the University of California Riverside and many other Riverside organizations, was honored posthumously in January with the first ever Riverside Innovation Award.

“The Mark was the vision of my late father, Mark Rubin, who believed this was the best piece of property in Riverside. He sought to restore the history of the building and blend it with a modern downtown community and having worked with AO in the past, he knew their design expertise would align with the vision. We couldn’t be more pleased with the result, and I know he would be so proud of his legacy that lives on at The Mark,” said Michelle Rubin, President of Regional Properties, Inc.

Leading developer bringing new LEED certified industrial complex designed to support economic growth and positioning to key Southern California logistics location

CapRock Partners is underway on the construction of Phase I of Palomino Ranch, a large-scale, state-of-the-art master-planned industrial warehouse development in Norco, Calif. totaling approximately 2 million square feet across 24 buildings on approximately 112 acres. The initial phase of the Class A project includes eight stand-alone industrial buildings totaling approximately 700,000 square feet on 44 acres.

At total project completion, Palomino Ranch will be the largest industrial real estate development in Norco’s history. The project will be LEED certified and will feature design elements such as wrap-around wooden porches and lantern streetlighting that are reflective of Norco’s equestrian background and nickname, “Horsetown U.S.A.”

“CapRock Partners creates world-class logistics facilities, and our team has made a commitment that all new ground-up development projects we build in California will meet or exceed LEED certification standards going forward, and we are excited to initiate this commitment with the commencement of Palomino Ranch,” said Patrick Daniels, co-founder and chief executive officer at CapRock Partners. “The landmark development is designed to not only satisfy the needs of a wide range of tenants and industries requiring accessible high-quality warehouse space, but it will also reflect Norco’s rich local history and character through its equestrian-themed aesthetic.”

Phase 1 buildings will range from approximately 55,000 square feet to 156,000 square feet, with clear heights from 30 feet to 36 feet. Buildings greater than 20,000 square feet will offer up to 6,000 square feet of mezzanine office space. Other features include secured and unsecured concrete truck courts, 125-foot truck court depth, ESFR sprinklers and up to 4,000 amps of power.

“The Inland Empire industrial real estate market is near full-occupancy as retailers and suppliers continue to shift their strategies in today’s post-pandemic economy,” added Daniels. “Norco is well-positioned geographically for logistics and transportation in the Inland Empire West submarket, within minutes to Orange County, and Palomino’s Phase I will be coming online at an ideal time to provide needed warehouse space.”

Located at 1811 Mountain Avenue, Palomino Ranch is west of I-15, accessible via the Second Street exit. The property is approximately two miles north of the 91 Freeway/I-15 interchange and is easily accessible to additional regional transportation routes such as the 71 Freeway, 60 Freeway and I-10, providing quick access to nearly any location in the Los Angeles Basin.

The project is approximately one hour driving distance to Los Angeles International Airport and the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The location is also within one-day truck service to key logistics nodes in Northern California’s Bay Area, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Truckers can reach further Western U.S. linkages such as Portland, Ore., Boise, Idaho, Denver and Austin, Texas within three days. Palomino Ranch’s corporate neighbors include FedEx, UP and Amazon, among others.

“Palomino Ranch is setting a new high standard for Southern California industrial real estate development, and our team is grateful for the City of Norco’s partnership in developing a facility that will elevate the city’s economic position and overall efficiency while supporting employment growth in the area,” said Jon Pharris, co-founder and president at CapRock Partners. “CapRock is investing Norco, a critical point in the supply chain, and as more national and multinational corporations establish their businesses here, CapRock is pleased to offer a modern LEED certified warehouse complex that allows them to enhance their operations.”

Jeff Ruscigno, Brian Pharris, Paul Earnhart, Ryan Earnhart, Austin Hill and Jeff Smith of Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services have been retained to market the lease availabilities at the Palomino Ranch. Phase II-A, consisting of nearly 750,000 square feet is planned to begin in 2023 and Phase II-B will be approximately 533,000 square feet.

Palomino Ranch is CapRock ‘s third ground-up development project in Norco and is one of two projects the firm is currently developing within the city. CapRock is in under construction on Saddle Ranch South, a three-building, 374,000-square-foot industrial complex across 23.8 acres, located less than three blocks north of Palomino Ranch at 3000 – 3100 Horseless Carriage Drive.

In 2021, CapRock completed and sold Saddle Ranch Business Park, a 422,000-square-foot four-building Class A industrial warehouse complex in Norco. The asset was 100% leased to vitamin and nutrition company, Goli Nutrition, before the sale.

CapRock’s portfolio and proven track record include nearly 30 million square feet of industrial real estate assets in Central and Southern California, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Texas. The firm will be under construction on approximately 10 million square feet of industrial space in the next twelve months, inclusive of Palomino Ranch and Saddle Ranch South, and continues to actively pursue new investment opportunities for ground-up development and value-add repositioning in key logistics locations throughout the Southwest U.S. and Texas.

The new 57,374-square-foot facility will centralize the math and science programs at Mt. San Jacinto Community College’s San Jacinto Campus

C.W. Driver Companies, a leading builder serving California since 1919, today broke ground on Mt. San Jacinto Community College District’s STEM Science & Technology facility at the San Jacinto Campus. The $37,000,000 contract is being built in partnership with LPA Architects. The facility is anticipated to reach completion by Fall 2023.

The new three-story, 57,374-square-foot STEM building will include science labs, lecture rooms, general classrooms, math and general studies labs and faculty offices. The San Jacinto campus’ growing biology, physical science and math programs are currently not centralized due to space constraints and are located in several buildings across the campuses. In addition to providing centralized buildings, the project will provide the math department with a permanent place for instruction.

“C.W. Driver Companies is proud to continue our partnership with Mt. San Jacinto College to provide their students with a best-in-class campus,” said David Amundson, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies. “It was an honor to be able to leverage our decades of experience in higher education to provide students and faculty with a centralized, permanent facility to further their research and learning.”

MSJC is part of California’s 116 community college system that trains local residents for jobs and prepares students to earn associate degrees and transfer to four-year universities. MSJC is a comprehensive college serving a 1,700-square-mile area from the San Gorgonio Pass to Temecula.

“Our goal at MSJC is to provide our students with the best possible education to prepare them for their future endeavors,” said Todd Franco, Dean of Facilities Planning, District Construction & Support Services at Mt San Jacinto Community College. “This new centralized hub for our math and science departments will allow our teams to collaborate in a permanent space that will contribute greatly to the STEM education and research at MSJC.”

C.W. Driver Companies is partnering with LPA Architects on the Mt. San Jacinto Community College District’s STEM Science & Technology building. In 2021, C.W. Driver Companies completed the construction of Mt. San Jacinto College’s (MSJC) Temecula Valley Campus. Other notable higher education projects include the Pomona College Rains Athletic Center; California State University Dominguez Hill’s Science and Innovation Building; Orange Coast College’s Language Arts and Social Science Building, Kinesiology and Athletics Complex and Student Union Complex; Mesa College’s Fine Arts Building; Chapman University’s Keck Center for Science and Engineering; Cal Poly Pomona’s Student Services Building; and Vanguard University’s Waugh Student Center.