Business & Tech

Westfield Carlsbad Mall Gets Long-Awaited Makeover

Westfield Plaza Camino Real will get a major makeover and a new name — Westfield Carlsbad — after the Carlsbad City Council approved a proposal to renovate the 44-year-old shopping mall.

The original Plaza Camino Real shopping center was built in 1969 with approximately 306,000 square feet of anchor tenant space and 176,000 square feet of specialty retail space. It was expanded approximately 10 years later and today occupies 1.15 million square feet.

The current owner, Westfield LLC, purchased the mall in the 1990s. The 77-acre mall, located southwest of the state Route 78-El Camino Real interchange, was last remodeled 19 years ago, and since that time other major retail outlets have opened in Carlsbad, eclipsing Westfield’s formerly dominant share of the consumer retail market. The future Westfield Carlsbad shopping mall will offer new stores, restaurants and services, including a new 12-screen Regal Cinema and a 24 Hour Fitness Center that will feature an indoor pool and rooftop basketball court. The new cinema and fitness center will be housed in the old Robinsons-May department store building, which has not had a permanent tenant for many years.

“We’re happy to see Westfield investing in its Carlsbad property. These improvements will make a huge difference in the center's appearance and the shopping experience,” said City of Carlsbad Community & Economic Development Director Kathy Dodson. “This project will be good for the City of Carlsbad and Westfield.”

 Westfield Carlsbad is a two- and three-story indoor shopping center with five main anchor department store buildings — Sears, Macy’s, Macy’s Men’s and Home Furniture, JCPenney and the former Robinsons-May. Westfield and its affiliates own most of the mall buildings, with the exception of the Sears, JCPenney and two Macy's stores. The mall has numerous specialty retail shops and several retail buildings and restaurants in the parking lot. The owners also own three buildings across Marron Road from the main mall, including the Moviemax Theatres on the southwest corner of Marron and El Camino Real. The old movie theater will be demolished as part of the project.

The mall’s eastern half will get a facelift, including a contemporary look and better pedestrian access between JCPenney and Macy’s Men’s and Home Furniture. The interior of the entire mall will receive new flooring, ceilings, lighting, handrails and other amenities, and the owners will install a new dining terrace and alter the mix of retail outlets.

The City Council approved several permits Tuesday, July 9, that will permit the owner to begin remodeling the mall. Those include approval of the Westfield Carlsbad Specific Plan, which will serve as the zoning document for the 77-acre site; approval of a site development plan, which will allow demolition, reconfiguration and reconstruction of existing buildings; and certification of the project’s environmental impact report. Westfield also wants to expand the mall into part of the city-owned parking lot surrounding the main building, but the City of Carlsbad and Westfield have not yet reached agreement on a lease of that additional area. If the two parties agree to lease terms, Westfield could expand the mall to 1.19 million square feet from 1.15 million square feet.

 The improvements approved by the Council Tuesday are expected to be completed in the autumn of 2014. Westfield Group has one of the world’s largest shopping center portfolios with 100 centers in Australia, New Zealand, United States, and the United Kingdom. Last year more than 1.1 billion customer visits generated over $40 billion in retail sales.

–City of Carlsbad


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