Santa Clarita, Calif., is a planned community of 150,000 residents located 50 miles north of Los Angeles. In recent years, the area has attracted many new families seeking affordable housing, good schools, and access to the quintessential southern California outdoor lifestyle.
Due to its central location, Westfield Valencia Town Center became the social and retail hub for the community. The original center consisted of an indoor shopping mall linked to Town Center Drive, a much imitated mixed-use retail street anchored by entertainment and office facilities. The goal in expanding Valencia Town Center was to attract a wider range of shops and create the retail ambiance anywhere else in Santa Clarita.
The new Shops at the Patios district comprises 234,000 square feet of new outdoor retail space built between existing anchor stores (a newly expanded Macy’s and Sears) and connects directly to the heart of the existing mall. The $69 million expansion replaces what was a blank wall facing south to Valencia Boulevard and is now a series of vibrant, outward facing shops and restaurants arrayed along a new public walkway that links into an existing pedestrian Paseo system that runs throughout Santa Clarita.
While designed to complement the existing indoor center and the retail street, the expansion establishes its own unique identity. The Patios expansion is organized around a series of outdoor spaces, such as the entry plaza, the central Koi pond Court, the “Living Rooms”, and the children's court.
The Koi pond court, for example, is defined by gently curved textured stone walls organized around a central stone lined pond. Four Tipuana Tipu Trees, previously existing on site, were relocated here to become feature elements that provide essential scale and shade. Water plants, flowing grasses and colorful flowers give unique character to this outdoor garden room.
The "living rooms" are defined by overhead shade trellises and luxurious draperies; custom chandeliers, seeded concrete flooring, landscaping and ample lounge seating are organized around glass filled fireplaces, which provide sparkle and warmth, and are popular gathering spots in the evenings. Throughout the Patios, the signage and graphic elements, provide interesting light and shadow effects and evoke the relaxed, ranch-style setting of the region’s past. A variety of lighting from custom chandeliers to custom pole fixtures, uplighting and seat lights reinforce the unique character of the various courts.
Tenant storefronts are the defining element for all of the spaces. Westfield worked closely with each tenant to successfully integrate unique and expressive designs into the overall project environment. For example, certain tenants along the front paseo were required to build 35 foot tall towers as part of their storefronts; these towers are now focal points for the project.
Project Name
Westfield Valencia Town Center
Location
Santa Clarita, Calif.
Square Footage
234,500
Architect
Westfield
Field Paoli
Developer/Owner
Westfield
Structural Engineer
Saiful Bouquet Structural Engineers
Electrical Engineer
Unison Electric
Mechanical Engineer
Antieri & Associates
Civil Engineer
Rick Engineering
Code Consultant
Code Consultants Inc.
Lighting Consulting
T. Kondos Associates
Landscape Architect
Mesa
Water Feature Design
Aquatic Creations
Signage & Graphics
RSM Design