Trail rides, youth sports and patriotism: Developer has big ideas for SJC’s Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park
One of Orange County’s hottest next-gen commercial developers is putting his stamp on San Juan Capistrano in a big way.
Dan Almquist, founder of Frontier Real Estate Investments, moved his family to San Juan seven years ago.
Since then he has begun four major projects in the sleepy little city, the jewel of which is the River Street Marketplace on historic River Street a few blocks from the Mission.
When completed in early 2023, River Street will resemble an agrarian village, with paved paths for bicycles and hitching posts to park your horse. Almquist calls it a deconstructed public market.
“We always start with ‘What’s the story?’ That’s a big part of what we do: Storytelling. There was a lot of farming and ranching on this property — that drove the theme. It drove the architectural style. The buildings will be named. The Hay Loft (which will house a craft brewery) will look like a hay loft.”
Another building named the Red Barn will house curated chef-driven food vendors, and a vintage horse trailer will serve as a cocktail bar. The jewel of River Street will be a farm-to-table market with a butcher, fishmonger and bakery.
Filling in “the village” will be fire pits, a horseshoe court, a flower stall, a veg garden for chefs on the property, scattered seating and heritage citrus and olive trees.
Now Almquist is pitching a fifth project for San Juan.
He wants to transform the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park, a 65-acre plot of city-owned land, into an equestrian-centric community hub.
The riding park is currently leased by the Ridland Group. Robert Ridland is USA’s Show Jumping Coach and led his team to a Silver Medal at the Tokyo Olympics this past summer.
Under Ridland’s stewardship, the park hosts internationally recognized equestrian show competitions, bringing elite horses and riders from all over the world. The events are free for public viewing.
The city, however, wants the property to be more community-minded and invited bidders, including Ridland, to come up with a more inclusive vision.
Almquist is the only one other than Ridland to take a shot. He presented his proposal to the City Council in September. A vote is expected next month.
For the Riding Park project, Almquist brought onto his team Kathy Holman, a San Juan resident since 1972 who owns the Ortega Equestrian Center just down the street and founded the horse shelter/rehab Otra Mas.
Holman, 69, says word on the street is a thumbs up for Almquist’s vision.
“People really like it, they’re really excited,” she says.
The project involves building barns to board up to 125 horses, as well as educational opportunities such as 4H, horsemanship, ranching and homesteading.
In addition to Western riding lessons and English equestrian events, the grounds would host concerts, festivals, antique shows and farmer’s markets.
An elevated food and beverage concession stand would also be added, along with picnic benches, a dog park and a pavilion with a treehouse and community camp fire.
A portion of the grassy area would be set aside for youth sports fields.
“Think of what a typical Saturday could look like,” says Almquist, who is 44 and the father of four. “You could have trail rides going on, an event in the arena, kids playing soccer. Then the game is finished — let’s go get something to eat and hang out.”
The proposal also mentions cattle grazing on a knoll, public artwork and the creation of a Flag Hill to fly the largest American flag in South Orange County.
“San Juan is a very patriotic city,” says Almquist. “We have a big military presence.”
A trail would ring the site for pedestrians and horseback riders alike.
Councilman Sergio Farias says he hasn’t decided how to vote yet but is impressed with everything else Almquist has done in the city.
“He’s able to bring in people who are passionate about what they do,” he says.
One of Almquist’s latest San Juan recruits is Heritage Barbecue’s pitmaster Daniel Castillo, who since setting up shop across the street from the Mission has been written up in Food & Wine Magazine and awarded a coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand. And he is partnering with the architect who designed the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University to build a Performing Arts Center in San Juan from scratch.
“He’s brought some energy to town,” says Farias, adding that he recently took a call from a council member in another city where Almquist is pitching a project. “The council member asked me if he was too good to be true.”
Almquist’s forte is breaking out of the traditional shopping center mold, instead curating a collection of shops and eateries that are “experiential,” creating a community hangout.
His Rodeo 39 Public Market opened in Stanton one year ago to rave reviews. A Rodeo 72 Public Market is now under construction in Whittier.
The developer also prides himself on handshake deals. He figures he met with over 100 community members, one or two at a time, over cups of coffee when he was putting together his River Street proposal.
“My world was coffees,” he says.
Almquist has since moved his office from Newport Beach to San Juan’s historic Los Rios District, the oldest residential neighborhood in California, working on a farmhouse table out of a bathhouse built in 1890.
“It has become very personal,” he says. “I’m super grateful to live in San Juan. I got a bunch of handshake deals with guys, and that’s meaningful. I said this is the way we’re gonna do it. They put their trust in me. With that comes a lot of weight and responsibility. I don’t want to let them down.”
Lori Basheda is a contributor to TimesOC.
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