A developing story on the Westside
Builders and retailers address concerns that expanded malls will increase traffic and density.
With the affluent Westside of Los Angeles escaping much of the economic angst gripping Southern California, shopping center owners near the coast are spending lavishly to burnish their malls and beckon new shoppers.
But there is also tiptoeing going on as these expansion-minded malls try to avoid the impression that they will overwhelm their neighborhoods with more dense development, worsening traffic and endless waits to turn left.
Planners, bulldozers, builders and ribbon-cutters are busy:
* In the works is a major overhaul for two adjacent malls in Marina del Rey.
* Construction started this month on a $170-million makeover and expansion of Westfield Fox Hills mall in Culver City. This follows a $170-million upgrade by Westfield on its Century City mall about a year ago.
* Santa Monica Place has been emptied of its stores to make way for a $265-million top-to-bottom renovation. Come spring, owner Macerich Co. will lift the roof off the aging complex and refill it with upscale tenants.
* Westside Pavilion recently went through a major makeover.
With so much going on, community groups such as the Del Rey Neighborhood Council are keeping an eye on the developers, representative Michael H. Stafford said. Developers "are going to do whatever they think the market wants."
Developers and retailers believe the Westside wants top-end shopping with the latest stores and mall designs. And the Westside is the "dominant favored quarter" for development in Los Angeles County, said urban consultant Christopher Leinberger of the Brookings Institution. "Because that's where the rich people are."
Although the recent global credit crunch has driven down commercial real estate values, some large developers are taking a long-term view and plan to keep building.
"We invest through economic cycles because it has been demonstrated that you have to keep shopping centers refreshed, renewed and vibrant for them to continue to be productive and appealing for consumers," said Katy Dickey, a spokeswoman for Westfield Group.
Next up for substantial improvement on the Westside are the two decades-old malls in Marina del Rey; Villa Marina and Marina Marketplace are across the street from each other at Maxella and Glencoe avenues. The owner announced plans for a multimillion-dollar makeover that may include residences and offices.
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