Entertainment Center to Be Built at Fairplex

An Upland-based developer has unveiled plans to build a large entertainment center, dubbed Paradise Park, at the Fairplex in Pomona. Lewis Homes Enterprises said it has leased 20 acres of land from the Los Angeles County Fair Assn. for an open-air center that could eventually encompass 460,000 square feet of retail shops, theaters and restaurants. Analysts say it’s an ambitious project for the immediate area and its small population. But fair officials and the project’s developers say they expect the center to draw visitors not only from the Fairplex and its events but also from residents and college students living within a 20-mile radius of the site. “The success of the Ontario Mills mall opened our eyes to the important value we have here,” said James E. Henwood, president of the fair association. Construction of the first 250,000-square-foot phase of the project could start next fall, if the project’s plans are cleared by the city, for an opening in November 1999. So far no tenants have been signed, but developers have begun preliminary talks with theater operators and restaurants.