Downtown Fontana is getting a full-scale reboot. The city is rebranding several underused blocks as the Forge District, a city-led push to turn sleepy streets into an entertainment, arts, and mixed-use corridor that officials say will bring in jobs and fresh sales-tax revenue. The plan links together newly acquired parcels, upgraded park space, and a remodeled single-screen theater into a more walkable core. If it works, residents could see more restaurants, live shows, and evening activity where packing sheds and quiet storefronts once dominated.
City plans, zoning, and land buys
To clear the way for denser projects, the City Council adopted a new zoning code in July 2023 that raised allowable building heights, boosted floor-area ratios for commercial uses, and cut parking requirements to make mixed-use development pencil out more easily. The city has also been buying up strategic downtown parcels to assemble larger, contiguous sites that are easier for developers to build on. As outlined by the City of Fontana, the overarching aim is to draw regional visitors and grow long-term sales-tax revenue.
Stage Red and anchor attractions
The marquee attraction is Stage Red Theater, the remodeled Center Stage venue that reopened with a June 15, 2024, performance by Sammy Hagar and is being billed as a cultural anchor to feed nearby restaurants and nightlife. The 300-seat theater has already begun hosting events and is slated to sit within a broader arts and historic district planned along the Pacific Electric Trail. The grand opening date and venue details were announced by Sammy Hagar.
Parking, parks, and walkability
To remove a key financial barrier for urban-style projects, the city signed off on funding for two public parking structures that together will add more than 800 stalls, which lets private developers push building footprints closer to the lot lines. Planned upgrades to Miller Park, a First Responders Memorial, and the repurposing of the Packing House are designed to create plazas and event spaces that keep people circulating through the district instead of driving straight home. According to the City of Fontana, the east parking structure was scheduled for completion in early 2025, with a second, larger structure projected for mid-2026.
Funding and environmental review
The Forge District effort is backed in part by a State SB2 grant and is advancing under a Downtown Area Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report that spells out traffic, housing, and land-use changes to steer redevelopment. Those public documents include maps, technical studies, and the zoning updates that frame the downtown strategy. As detailed in the Final Environmental Impact Report, the city has completed an environmental review intended to streamline the next phase of private development.
Why it matters
City leaders say the payoff they are chasing is more local jobs, stronger sales-tax revenue, and higher property values as nightlife and retail take root. The push drew wider attention when NBC Los Angeles aired a segment on the Forge District and its economic promise. For residents, the changes will roll out over months and years as private builders respond to the new zoning rules and the public investments already in motion.
City staff says they will keep courting private partners, and that public documents and updates are available through the economic development office. Residents with questions can email [email protected]. Officials anticipate more announcements in the coming months about restaurant openings, housing proposals, and the second parking garage as the Forge District takes shape.
