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As the grand re-opening approaches for the Westlake Plaza and Center, The Acorn article, posted by Anna Bitong, is the perfect segue into a sneak peek of the redeveloped shopping center. Stay tuned to the Regency Centers blog for more on the grand re-opening and the newest additions to the Thousand Oaks neighborhood.
The $25-million renovation of Westlake Plaza was marred by the controversial removal of scores of trees as well as revenue losses at businesses that saw fewer customers during prolonged construction.
But now that the bulk of the work is over, shoppers say they’re pleased with the new look of the center at the intersection of Agoura Road and Westlake Boulevard.
Regency Centers’ Patrick Conway said construction, which began in May 2014, would wrap up this week.
“We’re down to finishing touches,” he said.
One of the last jobs: planting a dozen more trees inside the plaza and along Townsgate Road and Village Glen, next to CVS.
“To me everything is a major improvement because we’ve done so much work,” Conway said of the overall result. “I think people are going to really appreciate the detail that went in, the custom lanterns, the planters up above the trellises to create some additional shade. The patios are full (of people). It’s good to see it being back to business as usual and better.”
“I think it’s beautiful,” Diehl said. “It’s a great improvement. I think it’s going to help the longevity of the businesses here and the community.”
Diehl said he wasn’t upset that trees were chopped down at the plaza because they were replaced.
“There’s nothing missing here,” he said. “They just unified the place and they have every right to do that if they own the property. The public really has no right to object to that, I don’t believe.”
Patrick Stark of T.O., who shops at the plaza on weekends, said he likes its new design.
“I am very happy,” Stark said, adding that the tree removals were necessary. “I used to park under them but they were lifting up the ground and some of them were leaning over. They were a little bit old and getting dangerous. I’ve noticed they’re planting a whole lot more trees, so it should make up for it.”
The public outcry to the tree devastation was so great that the T.O. City Council approved the formation of an ad hoc citizens committee that will suggest changes to the city’s laws that ultimately failed to protect the area’s revered trees.
“It was sad because there were squirrels that were displaced and possibly without homes,” shopper Michelle Becker said.
She said she appreciates the outcome despite the nuisance of construction, which blocked some exits.
“I do like the parking lot; it’s a lot more open than it was before. So it is nice, but it was still a pain,” Becker said.
While many continued to shop at the plaza during construction, the inconveniences caused by large machinery, scattered crews and blocked paths sent others elsewhere.
Some store managers said their businesses cut employee hours due to slow sales. They said they continue to suffer as Regency Centers finishes its remodel—and they fear they may have lost some customers permanently.
Sprouts, Natural Café and Togo’s are among the stores that reported a steep decline in sales since the renovation started last spring.
Yet Togo’s manager, Tyler Gonzales, forecasts a brighter outlook for the sandwich shop.
“(Construction) did affect our business tremendously, but it does look beautiful,” Gonzales said. “I’m very happy with how it came out. I just wish it ended faster, because they said it was only supposed to be seven weeks, and it was seven months.”
Gonzales said sales at Togo’s have recently started to pick up. In anticipation of the boost expected at the end of construction, he said, Togo’s as well as nearby Starbucks and Jamba Juice have added employees to their staff.
“We actually hired a lot more people because we thought it was going to be busier,” he said. “It has picked up. I think that how it looks is really nice and everyone wants to come in now. The last few days have been really, really busy.”
Conway said that tenant improvements will continue past this week. Center-wide improvements include remodeled storefronts, LED lighting, water features, new landscaping and new walking paths. The goal was to make the three shopping centers at the site—anchored by Gelson’s, Sprouts and Vons—feel like one.
“I think anyone that had concerns whether the character of the center was going to be maintained no longer has that concern,” he said. “I heard (from people), ‘It’s going to be a strip center from the San Fernando Valley.’ It’s not the case.”
Store openings
•Mendocino Farms : Jan. 26
•Burro by Firefly: early February
•Ice Cream Lab: first week of March
• Pressed Juicery: mid-March
•Pitfire Pizza: mid-March
•M Fredric: by March 20
•CorePower Yoga: mid-March
