Fontana’s Planning Commission unanimously approved a proposal to lease a city-owned former restaurant space at 8470 Nuevo Avenue to Gina’s Catering and Events LLC for a cafe. The commission action advances the proposal, but the reported approval is not itself confirmation that the lease has begun, according to the Fontana Herald News.
The proposed lease covers 6,265 rentable square feet. Its initial term would be 10 years, with two five-year renewal options; 20 years is therefore the potential maximum if both options are exercised, not a guaranteed term. The building was previously used as a restaurant, and the project was determined exempt from CEQA under Section 15301, which covers certain uses and minor alterations of existing facilities, the Herald reported.
The commission found the lease consistent with the city’s General Plan. The proposal is also framed as part of wider downtown revitalization: the Herald reported that officials expect the cafe to support the workforce, attract businesses and contribute to the area’s commercial mix. Those anticipated benefits are distinct from the commission’s approval of the lease proposal.
A longer-running downtown effort
Fontana’s downtown initiatives predate the cafe proposal by decades. The City of Fontana says its Downtown Redevelopment Project was adopted in 1975 and later amended five times. The city also records that an early phase of its Sierra Avenue façade rehabilitation program, between Orange Way and Valencia Avenue, was completed in 2007. That work was separate from the proposed Nuevo Avenue lease.
More recently, Fontana says it amended its Form Based Code in 2023, with a focus on multifamily housing and mixed-use development as part of the state’s SB2 Grant, according to the city’s Downtown Core project materials. These are broader planning actions, not evidence of additional terms or approvals for the cafe. The Nuevo Avenue proposal would put an existing restaurant building back to commercial use if the lease proceeds.
