Millenia, Chula Vista, CA

Millenia is the nearest thing eastern Chula Vista has to a downtown, a grid of mid-rise apartments, townhomes, offices and ground-floor restaurants just east of State Route 125 at Birch Road. McMillin broke ground in 2013 on a 210-acre plan of about 80 blocks meant to be the urban center of Otay Ranch, and the streets still look freshly finished. There are no detached houses here. Homes are apartments, condos and townhomes stacked over or beside shops, with planted promenades and bikeways in place of driveways and lawns. Building continues on the remaining blocks, so the skyline changes from one year to the next. Stylus Park is the first of six themed parks planned for the district, with an interactive water feature, a dog park, two bocce courts and a lawn big enough for small events. Orion Park adds another patch of green on the south side. For trails or bigger open space, residents drive out to the Otay Lakes or the hills above Eastlake. Eating out is the point of living in Millenia. El Viejon Seafood on Millenia Avenue serves Sinaloa and Baja style mariscos, from ceviche to birria tacos and octopus. Casa de Otay makes specialty coffee and matcha drinks, and Pizzo's Pizzeria on Birch Road fires Neapolitan pies with San Marzano sauce. Otay Ranch Town Center sits across Birch Road with a Chula Vista library branch and a Novo Brazil Brewing taproom, and a Vons on Eastlake Parkway handles groceries. The Rapid 225 stops at Millenia Station on its run between the Otay Mesa Transit Center and downtown San Diego, so a car is helpful but not strictly required. Parking is the daily irritation, since many visitors to the restaurants rely on street spaces. Construction noise also comes with buying into a neighborhood that is still being built. What Millenia offers in return is rare on this side of the county, a place where dinner, coffee and a bus stop are all down the block.