Property owner H.G. Fenton Material Co. first proposed residential and commercial development on 200 acres just west of Qualcomm Stadium in 1996. That plan is expected to come before the City Council this spring. The project would include 2,200 dwelling units and about 400,000 square feet of commercial development. Jones predicts that development would begin in 1999. Construction already has begun on 600 luxury apartments on 26 acres formerly owned by Fenton north of Friars Road.
Building also continues apace on new stores and restaurants in the Valley.
More than 1.8 million square feet of selling space make Fashion Valley the county's largest shopping mall. The crown jewel of exclusive specialty shops, Tiffany's, plans a Jan. 15 opening. Mission Valley Center, which completed its own massive facelift in 1995, is adding a small string of fast food restaurants at Mission Valley Center West. Park Valley across the street opened its first phase of stores and restaurants clustered around the Mission Valley Center trolley stop. While Stallings applauds the rapid pace of mixed use development, many existing residents complain about new traffic congestion and noise.