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.
The City Council will likely approve Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita's mall expansion for the outdoor section known as The Promenade if Westfield can resolve parking issues that will arise during construction.
Westfield Santa Anita mall sells for $537.5 million to an undisclosed buyer. The property at 400 South Baldwin Avenue and now known as The Shops at Santa Anita, is 1.48 million s.f. and nearly 100% leased. French-based Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), which has owned and operated the mall since 2007, has been selling off big-name mall properties in Southern California. IKEA Arcadia will open at the mall bringing a smaller version of IKEA with its design studio concept.
Westfield Santa Anita mall, Santa Anita Park race track, and other businesses cope with power outages and wind damage. Westfield Santa Anita mall was unable to open due to a widespread power outage although power was restored to the center's east end by 4:30 PM yesterday. Santa Anita Park was closed yesterday due to a power outage. The race track also sustained wind-related damage to the roof in its stable area and also had several uprooted trees. Huge, old trees were blown down in Arcadia.
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.
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.
The Westfield Santa Anita mall will be adding new tenants and is expected to submit plans for a new anchor store. Red Robin restaurant is scheduled to open in the open-air Promenade section by the end of the year. Forever 21 may move into the Robinsons May space and Target may be an anchor store.
Expansion of the Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita will begin soon. It will add 104,400 sq. ft. of retail, 18,400 sq. ft. of restaurants, a 7,800 sq. ft. food court, 45,000 sq. ft. of specialty stores, 54,300 sq. ft. of movie theaters, and a 5,400 sq. ft. auto center. The planned tenants include an AMC theater, Borders Book Store, and Sports Chalet. Expansion will be completed in 2005.
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.
Westfield, Santa Anita Shoppingtown, and Santa Anita Fashion Park, are the three plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the City of Arcadia, the City Council, and developer Rick Caruso, aimed at stopping the new mall The Shops at Santa Anita. Plaintiffs allege the environmental study done was flawed. Assistant City Manager Don Penman said the study was the most thorough one he had ever seen.
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.
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.
The expansion plan for Westfield Shoppingtown Santa Anita raises traffic concerns with City Council members. Kenneth Wong, president of Westfield America maintains composure as he answers. The proposed expansion is called The Promenade, an outdoor 100,000 square feet area that would be between Nordstrom and Macys.
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.
Arcadia's City Council approved design guidelines for expansion of the Westfield Shopping mall. The expansion will increase the mall size by 276,000 square feet, in a two-level extension and an open-air mall, in the northeast quadrant of the center.
Westfield Santa Anita mall is paving the way for new eateries to join its open-air Promenade. The mall has requested the city to allow an increase in restaurant space permitted there from 10,000 to 30,000 square feet.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. has opened a new restaurant at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia, on the second story of Promenade Shops near Macy's. Red Robin is known for their "bottomless steak fries."
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.