Mall Makeover
A Tale of One City, Two Theaters
Two different malls in Riverside, California are planning new
multiplex theaters in an attempt to pump up business for their respective facilities. If
they were in Scotland, it could be said that one was taking the high road, while the other
was travelling the low road. In the case of these two malls and their new theaters, the
description is literal.
Construction is expected to begin as early as January 2000 at the Galleria at Tyler on a
16-screen, 2,800-stadium-seat theater to be built approximately 30 feet underground. Dave
DeLille, director of marketing at the Galleria, says that the estimated $20-million
multiplex will be unique in Southern California and he feels, “It should generate a
lot of interest.”
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Plans are underway at the Galleria at Tyler to build an underground theater.
Chicago-based Urban Retail Properties, manager of the
mall and developer of the project, came up with the idea of a subterranean theater after
one of the mall’s anchors, JCPenney, made it clear that it did not want an
above-ground facility to block either its store or its signage. Other retailers reportedly
supported the underground plan because they worried about the potential loss of parking
that might have occurred from the construction of a traditional theater. In addition to
JCPenney, anchors at the Galleria at Tyler include Nordstrom, Macy’s, and
Robinsons-May, and the mall houses approximately 170 other stores and restaurants and a
food court. Because even the underground theater will result in the loss of about 70
parking spaces, project plans include adding a new level to the mall’s existing
two-level parking facility.
DeLille says the entrance to the underground theater will create another new element for
the mall, which will be an open-air plaza area that will tie together the 1.1-million
sq.ft. Galleria and its existing food court. The entrance area will be a desert garden
providing outdoor seating, water elements, trees and firepits. Also planned are outdoor
screens showing previews of coming attractions at the theater. The theater and its
surroundings were designed by MCG Architects.
Although it is still looking for an operator for the new theater, Urban Retail Properties
anticipates that it will be completed in winter-spring 2000. Once it is completed, the
mall’s existing four-screen theater operated by United Artists will be leveled and
redeveloped into approximately 30,000 sq.ft. of additional retail space, which DeLille
says will be devoted to specialty retail and restaurants.
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At the Riverside Plaza, a new cinema multiplex on the mall’s upper level is the cornerstone of redevelopment plans.
Meanwhile, at the nearby Riverside Plaza, a new 18-screen multiplex
theater on the mall’s upper level is the cornerstone of redevelopment plans geared
toward reviving the older facility and distinguishing it from the Galleria at Tyler.
Riverside Plaza, which opened in the early 1950s and renovated in 1984, was purchased last
year by Riverside Plaza Associates, a Midwest-based investor. Litchfield Advisors, a
Chicago real estate advisory company, represented Riverside Plaza Associates in the
acquisition and is spearheading the redevelopment effort. Litchfield has assembled a
redevelopment team led by Bill Kenney of The Kenney Company.
“We intend to create an exciting, unique and fun place for the local community to
shop, dine and be entertained,” comments Kenney. He notes that the revitalization
plan, which took nearly a year to finalize, was the result of an extensive evaluation of
the local market, the project’s trade area, its competition, and retailers that are
and are not currently represented at Riverside. “This is a good piece of real
estate,” he feels. “We pulled together a creative team to think outside the box
and to fulfill a community need.” He notes that the city of Riverside did not want a
power center and that the mall’s two anchor department stores, Harris/Gottschalks and
Wards, had to remain a part of any revitalization plan. “We built a plan based on
both,” he describes.
Kenney says that the redevelopment team felt that a new theater was a key to revitalizing
the mall. “It became clear to us that a component conspicuous by its absence was a
modern theater,” he relates. The plan for Riverside Plaza calls for a
state-of-the-art, 70,000-sq.ft., 18-screen multiplex to be built and operated by Krikorian
Premier Theatres. In addition to the theater, the plan calls for restaurants with outdoor
seating and retailers new to the mall. Harris/Gottschalks and Wards will get updated
exterior facades and stores will be redesigned for the existing Sav-On Drug and Trader
Joe’s. The project was designed by Architects Orange of Orange, California.
Kenney describes the new Riverside Plaza: “This is not a copy of any other project.
It will not be a lifestyle center, an entertainment center, a power or outlet center, or a
regional mall, but it will have components of each while retaining existing elements. It
will be a gathering place for the entire community.”
The plan is still subject to review and approval by the city of Riverside, although Kenney
says it has received a groundswell of political and community support. If all goes
according to plan, construction will begin in mid-2000, with completion anticipated in
early to mid-2001.
For more information, contact Sally Terando, senior leasing representative, Galleria at
Tyler, 909-351-3112; Bill Kenney, The Kenney Company for Riverside Plaza, 949-675-7038.