2/27/2024 0 Comments 24 hour gymHowever, Velasco confirmed that several trends that emerged during the pandemic are still complicating the planning process for this project specifically, people are working from home more, eating out more and shopping online more.Ĭity staff advised that housing construction may need to be prioritized, in order to generate more demand for retail or other major destination dreams, such as a hospital or even pickleball courts.īut some residents are already concerned that dense housing will negatively impact the neighborhood, especially as the number of cars driving through the area increases. That community feedback has largely revolved around the desire to see more entertainment, jobs and housing bloom into a resilient, accessible community. Richmond’s elected officials are tentatively set to consider final land use decisions by March, aiming to adopt a development plan by the end of 2024 or early 2025. While the city is currently behind schedule to meet different grant deadlines, she said “we need some additional direction and feedback in order to see if we can achieve true alignment, so that we can have development quickly.” “As you’re looking at achieving community goals and objectives, you’re in the driver’s seat,” Velasco said during Tuesday’s Richmond City Council meeting. In a departure from earlier plans for a large employment center, current concept mockups feature retail spaces and data centers for roughly a quarter of the mall site, which is subdivided by new streets cutting through the middle of the property.īut rather than simply let the mall’s owner and developer have the final say on what is ultimately built at Hilltop, Velasco said the city’s elected officials can use their authority to craft policies about what is allowed - or even required - to be built there.īig San Jose office building flops into loan default Velasco doesn’t expect the mall’s owner - Prologis, a San Francisco-based real estate company that purchased the property in 2021 for $117 million - to submit a project application until land uses and site plans are finalized throughout 2024, which would then kick off necessary environmental and technical studies.īut the latest draft plans shared by the mall’s developer, Signature Development Group, are largely dominated by hundreds of new townhomes, apartments, duplexes and single-family homes. That’s where the Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan comes into play.įor the past two years, Lina Velasco, director of community development, said city planners have been talking with the mall’s teams about transitioning the site from a low-intensity, auto-oriented retail center into a high-intensity, mixed-use development. We just have to make sure that we can envision something that will do that.” Mayor Eduardo Martinez said he believes “that Hilltop can become something that will put Richmond on the map. Past proposals to rebrand the complex have repeatedly failed, including a suburban village of more than 9,600 housing units, a 99 Ranch Market supermarket, and even a life sciences and biotech space that could welcome commercial tenants without becoming too industrialized. It could be an attractive regional project, given its convenient location smack dab between Interstate 80 and San Pablo Avenue. Questions abound as to whether or not the 143-acre mall site can realistically be transformed into a space that serves the modern needs of residents living nearby and across West Contra Costa County. These days, a 24 Hour Fitness and Walmart are the last lingering operators at “The Shops at Hilltop,” echoing how the pandemic accelerated the demise of legacy shopping centers across the nation. RICHMOND – The worst type of mall is a dead mall.īut this years-long, morbid reality has not yet galvanized Richmond officials and developers to settle on a clear vision to resurrect the former Hilltop Mall - a once-buzzing community jewel that started financially faltering years before shuttering in April of 2021.Īfter the 1.1-million-square-foot mall opened its doors in September 1976, decades of patrons reveled in its name-brand retailers, indoor ice skating rink and dual movie theaters - all tucked within Richmond’s northern borders with San Pablo, Pinole and El Sobrante.
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