Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/853369
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / S C T 27 aesthetics throughout the shopping center significantly. Highlights include enhanced entranceways, bolder freeway-visible signage and a two-story, glass-enclosed restaurant pavilion offering such tenants as Jack's Restaurant & Bar and Pieology, among many others. Near the pavilion a common area was added, with soft seating and tables. New escalators and elevators help improve mobility, and the flooring and upgraded lighting and amenities enrich the overall environment. "Our focus since the very beginning was to bring to the East Bay a retail experience that went well beyond the traditional," said Harper. "We wanted to create a destination that kept people engaged and one that kept them coming back time and time again. To do that, we knew we needed to refresh everything about the property — from its retail mix and aesthetics to its features and appeal." Harper notes that Mayor Alan Nagy was instrumental by helping to ease the city's review and approval processes. announced the transformation, we struggled to attract new retailers, but now the interest level is almost overwhelming," said Harper. "It went from our leasing team calling the retail community, to the retail community calling us and asking for space at NewPark. The feedback we have received from retailers since first announcing the project has been incredible. The common theme we heard from most of them was that they were looking for a place to establish a flagship presence in NewPark, given its strong fundamentals and demographics, but they weren't encouraged by the options until we came along." Besides national and regional retail chains, among the key additions are a 12-screen AMC movie theater, a 24 Hour Fitness, H&M;'s first store in this particular market, a Swarovski crystal jewelry shop and a Cold Stone Creamery. The latest retail addition is also the largest: John's Incredible Pizza opened its first Bay Area entertainment concept here in June, featuring an all- you-can-eat pizza special and 65,000 square feet of space for rides, games and a bowling alley. Harper says he is encouraged by the initial results and expects a major impact on the bottom line. "We have had tremendous success on all levels," he said. "We have brought in a number of high-quality new retailers to complement the existing lineup, have experienced a strong uptick in customer traffic and have given people a reason to be excited about shopping again. We are expecting the transformation to boost sales per square foot by over $200 once complete." Rouse is now focused on designing the development's next phase: construction of some 1,700 residential units, which will help add value, given the East Bay's housing shortage. "Once complete," said Harper, "NewPark will truly be an iconic master-planned community that offers a dynamic live, shop and play environment." n TIMELINE August 1980: NewPark Mall opens, with 140 stores 2012: Rouse Properties takes ownership 2014: Rouse announces plans to redevelop the property 2016: The AMC cinema, H&M; and 24 Hour Fitness open March 2017: John's Incredible Pizza opens with 65,000 square feet of entertainment space The retailers could hardly be more excited. "When we publicly announced our project in 2014, we created a branded leasing campaign that laid out the vision for NewPark by comparing it in its current state with renderings of how the property would look after construction was completed," said Harper. "We also highlighted the substantial value we anticipated the project would create for our retailers, the city and the community." The strategy worked. "Before we The center court, before new flooring, lighting, escalators and elevators were added