Santa Anita Park Race Track owner Frank Stronach has met with city officials about Arcadia's concerns with the track expansion plan and future sessions will be held. The concerns centered around plans to build new barns on the north side of the property, the internal connections between the track and Westfield Shopping mall traffic and people, and architectural compatibility with the track.
Westfield Group expects to complete its second expansion project at Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita in three years -- an $85 million, 185,000 square feet wing that would convert the mall into a cross between a traditional indoor mall and an outdoor shopping center.
Westfield America may feel threatened by Caruso Affiliated's proposed outdoor mall and residential complex on the parking lot of the Santa Anita Park race track.
Westfield Group has nominated Santa Anita Park to the National Register of Historic Places, claiming development plans by Caruso Affiliated constitute a threat to the racetrack. Magna Entertainment, owner of the race track, would have to agree to the track being placed on the register. However, placement on the list would not restrict development on the site.
Holiday shopping at Westfield Shoppingtown - Santa Anita, was up as much a 7 to 10% over last year as shoppers jammed the mall the day after Thanksgiving.
Westfield Group is funding a new "grass roots" coalition to oppose the Santa Anita Park race track mall development by Caruso Affiliated. The coalition is called Arcadia First! but includes Westfield representatives, Westfield tenants and downtown businesses, and not only citizens, as the membership in a grass roots organization might suggest.
Judge James C. Chalfant stands by his July decision that the environmental impact report (EIR) that Arcadia officials relied upon in approving the mall was faulty in 11 areas and that it would have to be revised before the Caruso mall project, proposed for the Santa Anita Park race track parking lot, known as the Shops at Santa Anita, can move forward.
Developer Rick Caruso's $400 million open-air mall at the Santa Anita Park race track may be stiff competition for retailers at Westfield Shoppingtown. City leaders hope the two malls can coexist.
Caruso and Westfield are still battling over the proposed Caruso lifestyle center. A decade ago the race track's south parking lot had been rezoned for commercial development. Rick Caruso feels his development will help Westfield while Westfield believes a new mall will cannibalize tenants and harm both companies and the city's sales tax revenues.
Westfield Shoppingtown has hired one of the largest law firms in Los Angeles--Latham and Watkins, to slow developer Rick Caruso's proposal to build a mall on he grounds of the adjacent Santa Anita Park race track.
About 500 Hollywood hopefuls participated in the casting calls for the film "Seabiscuit." Possible shooting locations include Santa Anita Park race track where Seabiscuit raced.
School uniforms, shoes, socks, jackets, school supplies and treats were given out to about 1000 local children from low-income families in the Foothill Unity Center's Fifth Annual Back-to-School Distribution at Santa Anita Park race track.
George Haines, General Manager of Santa Anita Park race track, writes an open letter in support of the Caruso Affiliated development called The Shops at Santa Anita.
A full page color advertisement solicits Arcadia residents' reviews on the new mall to be built by Caruso Affiliated on the Santa Anita Park race track parking lot. The mall will be called The Shops at Santa Anita.
An outdoor courtyard, a 1220 space parking structure, and numerous shops would be added to Westfield Shoppingtown - Santa Anita under an expansion plan under review by the City Council.