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.
Westfield Group has vowed not to donate to City Council campaigns in the April 2006 election, joining mall rival Rick Caruso and Caruso Affiliated, who made a similar pledge in September.
Two new issues brought up by Westfield Group against the Caruso project may go to Arcadia voters in a special election in November. One issue is to ban paid parking and the other is to prevent Caruso from erecting large billboards at the mall. Any election could cost the city up to $80,000.
Westfield Group, owner of Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita, plans to sue the City of Arcadia and developer Caruso Affiliated to prevent The Shops at Santa Anita, the outdoor mall, from being built.
Caruso Affiliated's proposed mall, The Shops at Santa Anita, may be hit with a second lawsuit. Anti-development group Arcadia First! said it will sue on the grounds that the environmental impacts of the project have not been fully addressed. The suit will make a ballot referendum unnecessary.
A full page advertisement authorized by Arcadia First! speaks out against Caruso Affiliated's plans to build a mall on the parking lot of Santa Anita Park race track.
Judge Dzintra I. Janavs said she will likely hold a non-jury trial on the two petitions, one by Westfield, another by Arcadia First!, against Caruso Affiliated next April. The two legal challenges will not be consolidated but will have joint hearings to save time. Plaintiffs allege the environmental study for the proposed The Shops at Santa Anita mall is flawed.
Responding to allegations made by Westfield-funded Arcadia First! that Caruso representatives met privately with City Council, Caruso Affiliated spokesperson Julie Wong said Arcadia First! should apologize and get their facts straight. Sung Tse, Arcadia First! spokesperson said there is nothing to apologize for.
Red Rock Chili restaurant's co-owner Brent Beckwith defends Westfield and the Arcadia First! coalition in this letter. He feels business owners and residents have a right to voice their best interests and that the group is not merely a front for Westfield's interests.
1. "The Shops at Santa Anita"aren't right for Arcadia. Mailed to residents in February, 2006 by Westfield Santa Anita in opposition to new mall. Photos in the flyer are not of Arcadia Fire Department or Arcadia Police Department. 2. "Date Night at The Grove," invitation from Caruso Affiliated, Apriā¦
1. "The Shops at Santa Anita"aren't right for Arcadia. Mailed to residents in February, 2006 by Westfield Santa Anita in opposition to new mall. Photos in the flyer are not of Arcadia Fire Department or Arcadia Police Department.
2. "Date Night at The Grove," invitation from Caruso Affiliated, April 2006.
3. "Stop The Shops at Santa Anita" and billboards, wall signs, animated signs, mailer paid for by Santa Anita Shoppingtown, L.P.
4. "Public Scoping Meeting: the Shops at Santa Anita Park-Revised Project," June 13, 2006.
5. Grand opening and open house of the office of The Shops at Santa Anita and Caruso Affiliated. May 2006.
6. "Caruso Project Faces Key Test on Wednesday." San Marino Tribune, April 5, 2007.
7. Caruso Affiliated newsletter "Speaking Santa Anita, an update on The Shops at Santa Anita" sent to residents. December 2006. Arcadia firefighters support the shops. Planning Commission hears from Arcadians such as Ruth Dunlop. Supporter spotlight on Nancy Chan.
Seen as retaliation for Westfield tactics, Caruso Affiliated announced it would ask Arcadia voters to block mall rival Westfield from leasing space to Target Stores or a similar "big box" discounter.
Westfield Shoppingtown has withdrawn its request to expand restaurant space at its new Promenade wing, following a legal challenge by rival mall developer Caruso Affiliated. In August, Caruso sued to stop the expansion, demanding a new environmental impact report. Westfield has decided not to fight this lawsuit.
Rouben A. Yardemian owns a retail store at Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita. He writes in response to Rick Caruso's letter that there will not be "mall wars." Yardemian believes Arcadia is not big enough for two malls.
Arcadia City Council voted unanimously to give the final approval on Rick Caruso's The Shops at Santa Anita mall. The City Council also approved an expansion project for the Westfield mall with one condition.
Rick Caruso faces off with Westfield Group's Kenneth Wong at a City Council meeting. Some 350 Arcadia residents came to hear about the proposed expansion of Westfield Shoppingtown and Caruso's outdoor lifestyle center.
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.
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 Group, owner of Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita, has proposed two ballot measures for the November election. Westfield is gathering signatures for the two initiatives: 1) to mandate free parking at all large retail projects and 2) to ban large billboards. A poll of 300 registered Arcadia voters in February showed 74% support the free parking initiative and 62% support the billboard measure.