Worth the Wait

Simi Valley Gets $300-Million Mall

The 900,000-sq.-ft. Simi Valley Town Center, the first new regional retail center to be constructed in Ventura County in more than 25 years, sits on 129 acres between the craggy Santa Susana Mountains and the rolling Simi Hills. The outdoor shopping district resembles an Italian hilltop village. Coming next to an adjacent hillside: 500 luxury apartments.

By Greg Aragon

The outdoor shopping district was developed by a joint venture between Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises Inc. and The Corti Gilchrist Partnership and The Finley Group, both of San Diego (photo by Greg Aragon).

An inland city in Ventura County has added some European flare to its rocky landscape.

With the late-October opening of the $300 million Simi Valley Town Center, the burg of 112,000 people, 35 mi. northwest of Los Angeles, now has an outdoor shopping mall that resembles an Italian hilltop village.

The project architect drew from his personal experiences.

"I spent a lot of time in Italy, France, Spain and along the Mediterranean, and I experienced hilltop villages that are so comfortable and create a place for people," said Andrew Feola, AIA, founder and president with Pasadena-based F+A Architects, the project's designer.

"To me this project represents the best of what these villages have to offer."

Located along the north side of U.S. Highway 118, the 1-mi.-long shopping corridor stretches for two freeway exits, from Erringer Road to First Street. The 900,000-sq.-ft. project, the first new regional retail center to be constructed in Ventura County in more than 25 years, sits on 129 acres between the craggy Santa Susana Mountains and the rolling Simi Hills.

The mall was developed by a joint venture between Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises Inc. and The Corti Gilchrist Partnership and The Finley Group, both of San Diego. Construction was led by Whiting Turner Construction Co. of Baltimore.

To help achieve a European feel, the design team utilized architectural features such as trellised and covered walkways and gardens. Copper roofs and domes, arches, courtyards with sitting areas and a landmark Center Court with a 60-ft. tall signature tower also add to the European motif.

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The streetscape is enhanced by limestone and sandstone facades that include warm earth tones such as brick, butter, khaki, olive green, mocha chocolate and copper. There also are reds, oranges and yellows.

The village section of the single-storied Town Center is anchored by a 107,000- sq.-ft. Macy's and 140,000-sq.-ft. Robinson's-May. The 600,000-sq.-ft. village is rounded out by more than 120 specialty shops and stores, including six sit-down restaurants and an outdoor/indoor fast-food court, which can accommodate 300 people.

There is another 300,000 sq. ft. of retail at the western end of the mall. This part of Simi Valley Town Center, called Town & Country, is anchored by big-box stores such as Lowe's Home Improvement, Best Buy and Babies 'R Us.

There is parking for 4,200 cars.

Construction on the Simi Valley Town Center broke ground in June 2004 and moved steadily forward until record-breaking rains hit in February, causing crews to lose about two full months of work.

"We got hit hard," said Joginder Singh, executive vice president with Forest City Commercial Construction. "For example, we were doing foundation work when the rains came and silt from the neighboring mountains filled our foundations. So we had to undo what was already done and repour the concrete."

Singh said the same thing happened on a large chunk of the 2,000-ft.-long retaining wall that was built for the center.

"It can rain for two days, and [when] it quits, it still takes you two days before you can get [back] on it because it has to be dry enough, otherwise you go backwards," he said. "So basically, we [could lose] five days of work from two days of rain."

City estimates predict that the Simi Valley Town Center will generate more than $3.6 million in new retail sales tax, property tax and business license taxes annually. Additionally, the project has created more than 3,000 jobs.

A 600,000-sq.-ft. apartment component to the Simi Valley Town Center called Jefferson at Simi Valley, broke ground in the summer. This project, being developed and built by Dallas-based JPI, will include 500 luxury apartments on the hillside overlooking the town center.

When the apartments are complete in 2007, the Simi Valley Town Center development will have a total of 1.5 million sq. ft.

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