Botox, jewelry, breast augmentation, and day spas, all in one convenient location! Coming soon to Town Center
The housing market may have tanked, the auto dealers may be battered and on life-support, the talented musicians may have stopped playing, and schools may be facing cutbacks, but two other local institutions are still doing somewhat well and have some exciting projects coming online next year.
Anyone who has shopped at the mall lately can’t miss the biggest example of this: Westfield Town Center’s “The Patios” is due to open in Fall 2009 and should offer something for everyone from the fashion-conscious West Side Mommy to the idle-hands-are-the-devil-playground Valencia teen to the poorly dressed blogger from Newhall.
The Patios represents one of two major expansions to what used to be simply the Valencia Town Center mall, which opened in 1992. Town Center Drive opened in the late 90s/early oughts, renovations to the west side of the mall followed shortly after, but now, the south and east side of the mall are being expanded.
The project includes:
- Approximately 184,500 square feet expansion to some 800,000 sq. ft. of existing space
- Additional 50,000 square feet Macy’s Expasnion (Yes, we’ll finally have a REAL Macy’s, not a pathetic Robinson May in Macy’s clothing!)
- Over 40 exciting new specialty stores. Yes, specialty!
- New al fresco style restaurants with indoor/outdoor seating
- Modern sophisticated fashions, like that woman–>
- Abundant parking
- More marketing good-speak
What’s nice about this project is that is a build-up of existing space in a central part of town, meaning its impact on the landscape is minimal. I’m not sure I’ll actually care for “40 exciting new specialty stores” unless one of them is an Apple Store, but regardless, I can see the benefit of this new development, especially for the City of Santa Clarita’s tax rolls. If successful, The Patios should draw in all the hillbilly shoppers from the mountain communities, Antelope Valley, and perhaps even the dreaded SFV.
But shopping isn’t the only favorite pastime of Santa Claritans. We’re big on education, and I’m personally looking forward to College of the Canyon’s University Center opening early next year.
The University Center, also known to some COC employees as the Diane Van Hook Masoleum, is a $36 million, 110,000 sq. ft. addition on the south side of the sprawling Valencia campus. It will be the formal home of COC’s bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in partnership with CSUN, CSUB, Chapman, and some other professional universities.
Once built-out, the Center will be the closest thing Santa Clarita has to an authentic, public, secular, four year university. The idea is that you could obtain a real Bachelor’s or Master’s degree without ever leaving your beloved SCV. The Daily News:
When completed, the building will house bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered by a wide variety of colleges and universities that allow Santa Clarita Valley residents access to advanced degrees on the community college campus. Among the offerings at the center are bachelor degree programs in communications, nursing, criminal justice, psychology, social science and liberal studies; master’s degrees in several areas of education as well as public administration; and professional credential programs.
I’m less than enthused about the look of the building, which strikes me as just another bland office building, but who can argue with what an asset this University Center will be?
Now let’s just hope the COC Board and Van Hook don’t sell any naming rights to a sketchy local firm!
That’s all fine and dandy for Valencia, but what about the other communities in Santa Clarita? Well, there’s always the possibility of a new library in Newhall to look forward to, though I don’t think that will open until 2010 or later. And if you consider that out-of-the-way activity center on Soledad to be part of Canyon Country, you can look forward to sending your kids to the new skate park, which is also under construction and should open next year.
Saugus? I don’t know what to tell you. At least you have Central Bark.