A sign has gone up at the former El Tio Pepe restaurant site at Bear Valley and Amargosa roads in Victorville, promising a retail project by 2027. The sign reads “Coming Soon 2027” and shows a rendering of a commercial building with multiple storefronts, though it stops short of naming any confirmed businesses that will actually move in.
Rendering Hints at Shops, But No Tenants Confirmed
According to VVNG, the rendering displays AT&T and FedEx logos alongside labels for pizza, banking, nail and coffee businesses. The outlet is careful to note that those logos and labels do not confirm which companies will actually occupy the property once it's built. A separate leasing banner on the existing restaurant building advertises available spaces ranging from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet, matching the sizes shown on the project sign itself.
The property sits near the Mall of Victor Valley and is adjacent to Big 5 Sporting Goods, placing it in one of the city's busier retail corridors. No specific opening date or construction schedule has been provided, and it remains unclear whether the existing building will be remodeled or replaced entirely as part of the project.
El Tio Pepe's Prior Move From the Site
The site's history traces back to El Tio Pepe, the restaurant that previously operated there before relocating in September 2022 from the larger building near the mall to a smaller Victorville location at 14977 Palmdale Road. The restaurant took over the former La Casita restaurant space at that address, the same report notes. The original building near the Mall of Victor Valley on Bear Valley Road was built in the mid-1980s and sat empty after it was sold, according to the Victorville Daily Press.
The Bear Valley and Amargosa intersection has seen major retail development before. Back in 2018, the Victorville Planning Commission approved a retail project at the southwest corner of that same intersection, a plan that eventually brought TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Five Below, Ulta Beauty and 24 Hour Fitness to what became Dunia Plaza. That earlier project totaled roughly 112,000 square feet of commercial space spread among five major tenants, built on a vacant parcel bordered by Walmart, Michael's and Kohl's, per the same outlet's reporting at the time.
What Remains Unknown
For now, the 2027 timeline comes solely from the posted sign itself, and plenty of basics haven't been nailed down. There's no confirmed opening date, no public construction schedule, and no word on whether the current building gets gutted and remodeled or torn down altogether. Hoodline will be watching for updates on tenants, permits and timelines as the project moves forward.
