New developments Seattle - Work has begun on Northgate North, a 324,00 sq. ft, four-story retail center north of Seattle. A 165,000 sq. ft. Target will anchor the center, with Best Buy occupying 50,000 sq. ft. Staggered occupancy is slated to begin in October 2000. The project lies just north of Northgate Mall, a well-established 1 million sq. ft. enclosed mall anchored by Nordstrom and JCPenney.
Northgate North is a project of Chicago-based ORIX Real Estate Equities and Seattle-based Touchstone Corp. Locally based firms involved in the project include leasing agent Seattle Pacific Realty, project architect NBBJ and general contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis.
Redevelopments Tokyo - La Fete Tama, a 215,200 sq. ft. center, is now under construction next to Tokyo Metropolitan University in a suburb west of Tokyo. The project reunites Tokyo-based developer Mitsui Fudosan and Baltimore-based RTKL/ID8. The two firms teamed to create Yokohama Bayside Marina, a highly successful, heavily themed center designed around a story.
Storyboarding again was utilized in the planning of La Fete Tama, designed by RTKL's Baltimore, Dallas and Tokyo offices. The resulting tale - about the adventures of a French family transported to a faraway land - is reinforced by the center's design and architecture. The open-air, two-level center features a central promenade and four themed zones: inventions; kitchen/gourmet foods; music and art; and games. Completion of La Fete Tama is set for fall 2000.
Ventura, Calif. - The redevelopment of the former Buenaventura Mall into Pacific View Ventura is nearing completion. The Macerich Co., Santa Monica, Calif., marks this project as its most ambitious in the firm's 25-year history of mall redevelopment. Some 436,000 sq. ft. of GLA was added, bringing the superregional mall's size to 1.1 million sq. ft.
The existing single-level north and south mall areas were razed and reconstructed as two-level sections. Common areas in the existing two-level center were renovated to reflect a California theme created by designers Communication Arts, Boulder, Colo., and architects Klipp, Colussy, Jenks, Dubois, Denver.
During the redevelopment project, most tenants have remodeled, expanded or relocated. The anchors have revamped as well: JCPenney opened a new prototype last year; Macy's is finalizing plans for a renovation and remerchandising to its latest prototype design; Sears is building its latest prototype store from scratch; and Robinsons-May is gutting the mall's former JCPenney space to accommodate its "A" store.
Center openings Newport Beach, Calif. - Corona del Mar Plaza recently opened in Newport Beach as home to such tenants as Waterworks, Bristol Farms, Sur La Table, Amadeus Spa and Bastideaux Home Collection. A development of Irvine, Calif.-based The Irvine Co., the upscale specialty retail center is styled after the urban mercantile buildings erected in the late 1890s and early 1900s in beach towns throughout Southern California. The 100,000 sq. ft. center was designed by San Diego-based Altevers Associates architectural firm.
Expansions Augusta, Maine - The 400,000 sq. ft. Phase III expansion of The Marketplace at Augusta has created the largest open center in Maine. The 765,000 sq. ft. shopping destination boasts new tenants Linens 'N Things, Bath & Body Works, Home Depot, Old Navy and Gap/Gap Kids. The center is owned by W/S Development Associates LLC, based in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Major tenant happenings Costa Mesa, Calif. - San Francisco-based Macy's West and Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores are introducing a new prototype home furnishings and furniture store, which will anchor the South Coast Plaza mall in Costa Mesa, Calif. Called Macy's Home, the new concept gives consumers the opportunity to complete any one room on a single floor.
Macy's Home will debut after the renovation of the former Macy's Crystal Court location. Renovation on the three-level, 189,000 sq. ft. space will be completed by mid-2000.
Renovations Fort Walton Beach, Fla. - The 24-year-old Santa Rosa Mall in Fort Walton Beach is undergoing a $7 million renovation, its first facelift in 14 years. The 752,000 sq. ft. center will receive new entrances, improved lighting, skylights, new flooring and enhanced landscaping. Other amenities include a special events area, an expanded information center and a new carousel.
The mall was developed by Montgomery, Ala.-based Jim Wilson & Associates, which is overseeing renovation construction. The architect is Crawford McWilliams Hatcher Architects, and the general contractor is Hoar Construction, both of Birmingham, Ala. Completion of the renovation work is set for mid-summer 2000.
Panorama City, Calif. - Facade renovation of stores along Van Nuys Boulevard has commenced, with the ultimate goal of creating a Latino-flavored retail environment in Panorama City. Called Plaza de Valle, the $30 million project entails the creation of an open-air paseo with stores fronting it. This central plaza will also serve as a venue for musical events.
The 197,000 sq. ft. project will feature individual boutique stores to lend a bazaar motif. These small shops - 150 sq. ft. to 500 sq. ft. - will be set amid a rainbow of festive colors and varying building heights and materials.
The project, designed by Calabasas, Calif.-based Leslie Lippich Architects and Associates, is scheduled to be finished in December 2000. The developer is Toluca Lake, Calif.-based Agora Realty Management & Construction, operating on behalf of an affiliated firm, Socially Responsible Investing LLC, the property owner.