The Shops at Hilltop
The Shops at Hilltop, formerly known as Hilltop Mall, is a regional shopping center in the Hilltop neighborhood of Richmond, California. Hilltop is managed and co-owned by LBG Real Estate Companies, LLC, and is anchored by tenants Macy's, Sears, Walmart and 24 Hour Fitness. Redevelopment of The Shops at Hilltop is the initial phase of the new mixed-use master plan community, Hilltop by the Bay.
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Location | Richmond, California, United States |
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Coordinates | 37.980725°N 122.32826°W |
Opening date | 1976 |
Developer | A. Alfred Taubman |
Management | LBG Real Estate Companies, LLC |
Owner | LBG Real Estate Companies, LLC |
No. of stores and services | 150[1] |
No. of anchor tenants | 5 (4 open, 1 vacant) |
Total retail floor area | 1,100,000 sq ft (100,000 m2) [1] |
No. of floors | 2 |
Website | shophilltop |
History
The Shops at Hilltop opened in September 1976, built on land previously occupied by an oil storage tank farm owned by the Chevron Corporation. The mall was developed by A. Alfred Taubman, who also developed several other shopping malls in the East and South Bay Area, including Eastridge Center in San Jose, Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton, and Sunvalley Mall in Concord. Originally, it was anchored by red-tiled Capwell's, JCPenney and Macy's. Both Macy's and JCPenney originally had stores in downtown Richmond, but while Macy's had closed its downtown store a couple of years earlier, JCPenney kept its downtown store open for a year after Hilltop opened.[2] Capwell's changed its name to Emporium-Capwell in 1979, before becoming simply The Emporium in 1990. Sears was added in 1990 in a newly built north wing addition, which was an expansion of this property.
Once opened, the mall attracted the major anchor stores from Richmond's downtown, with several major national chain stores closing downtown locations (although many acknowledge that the trend predated Hilltop due to economic and safety issues).[3][4]
The mall remained largely unchanged until 1996, when the Emporium store closed following its merger with Federated, who owned Macy's. The store remained vacant until October 1998, when Macy's refurbished and relocated their existing store into the former Emporium space and closed the original Macy's store.
The GM Pension Trust assumed full ownership of The Shops at Hilltop in 1998, retaining Taubman Centers as manager.[5] In 2004, the GM Pension Trust sold a half-interest in a portfolio of shopping centers, including Hilltop, to The Mills Corporation, which also assumed management of the center. After several years of delay, Walmart opened on April 11, 2007 on the site Macy's vacated in 1998.
In July 2007, Simon Property Group purchased the entire Mills Corporation portfolio, including other Bay Area properties: Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton, California and Great Mall in Milpitas, California. On December 23, 2011, a shopping frenzy over retro Air Jordan shoes resulted in temporary closure of the mall after shots were fired.[6] The mall later reopened, but sales of the shoe were banned for the day.[6] Similar events occurred at the nearby Westfield Solano and the Bayfair Center malls in Fairfield and San Leandro, respectively.[6]
In August 2012, Greg Maloney, president of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) Retail, was appointed receiver by the Contra Costa Superior Court to assume management of the property due to Simon's loan default. JLL retained Michael Piazzola as its managing receiver. The property was foreclosed upon in June 2013, and Jones Lang LaSalle was retained as the manager post-foreclosure.
On March 17, 2017, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing as part of a plan to close 138 stores nationwide. The store closed on July 31, 2017.[7]
On February 6, 2020, it was announced that Sears would be closing in March 2020 as part of the chain's plan to close dozens of stores nationwide, which will leave Macy's and Walmart as the only anchors left.[8]
Revitalization
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In July 2017, LBG Real Estate Companies, LLC and Aviva Investors announced the purchase of The Shops at Hilltop property. The property went into foreclosure by Simon Property Group in 2012 and then proceeded to be put up for auction before it was bought by LBG and Aviva. LBG has begun the process of rebranding, redeveloping and upgrading both the interior and exterior of the mall structural buildings. Working with urban planners, LBG has developed a strategy to transform the property during 2020 and beyond.[9]
In September 2017, the shopping center rebranded as The Shops at Hilltop, representing a new vision to modernize the property. The renovated shopping center will contain new dining, entertainment, office, and retail tenants. After redevelopment, The Shops at Hilltop will host 99 Ranch Market as a new anchor tenant and a variety of dining options representing many different cuisines.[10] The Shops will also contain personal care services and several entertainment options including a live theater.[11] The redevelopment will bring a mix of creative office tenants to the center connecting the shopping, dining, and cultural experiences to the workplace.
In addition to the Shops, LBG has created a master plan for the long-term, mixed-use redevelopment of the fully entitled 77-acre site which will complement the existing shopping center. This larger mixed-use development, named Hilltop by the Bay, will refer to all the development occurring on the old Hilltop Mall Property. Hilltop by the Bay will have over 3,500 housing units, as well as office, hotel, and entertainment uses.
Beyond the existing building, the Hilltop by the Bay development will build up the area to create an urban village on the Hilltop property. The site is entitled for 16.7 million square feet of overall building area, including up to 9,670 housing units. This allows for enormous expansion and development with a variety of uses including a Marriot Residence Inn.[12] The mixed-use offered by the Hilltop by the Bay development will enable a work, live, play environment for those who utilize the full breadth of options that will be offered once the development is complete.
Construction has begun on The Shops at Hilltop renovations with the initial work expected to be complete in late 2020. This preliminary work will bring in new retailers, entertainment establishments and restaurants to the shopping center. The new interior and exterior upgrades will consist of new modern mall entrances, facade improvements, an upgraded food court, illuminated signage, LED lightning, new seating, new flooring, and new landscaping.
Anchors
- Macy's (190,700 sq ft (17,720 m2))
- Sears (135,000 sq ft (12,500 m2))- closing in March 2020
- Walmart (150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2))
- 99 Ranch Market (Coming Soon)
- 24 Hour Fitness (37,383 sq ft (3,473.0 m2))
Former anchors
- Capwell's, Opened with mall in 1976 closed in 1996 following its merger with Federated; Macy's refurbished and relocated their existing store.
- JCPenney, Opened with mall in 1976 (originally located in downtown Richmond) closed on July 31, 2017.
Notes and references
Oakland Tribune (Richmond-area edition), Sept. 3, 1976, page 13
- "Simon Property Group". themills.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- "Richmond Chamber of Commerce: History". rcoc.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- Richmond History Archived 2007-09-04 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 09-08-07
- Images of America: Richmond (Paperback) by Donald Bastin, Arcadia Publishing (SC), November 2003
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2017-08-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Air Jordan release sparks violence at Richmond, Fairfield malls Archived 2015-10-01 at the Wayback Machine, Karl Fischer, Contra Costa Times, 23-12-2011, access date 25-12-2011
- Sciacca, Annie (31 July 2017). "End of an era for JCPenney store closing in the East Bay". The Mercury News. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- Tyko, Kelly (February 6, 2020). "Sears and Kmart store closings continue. Is your location closing in early 2020?". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2017-07-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Mike, Aldax (24 July 2019). "Shops at Hilltop announce upcoming food/entertainment additions".
- Dan, Lucky (24 February 2018). "In-depth: Richmond's Hilltop Mall reinventing itself for 21st century". kron4.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- Mike, Aldax (3 December 2019). "SAfter many years without a hotel project, Richmond is reviewing two".
External links
- Hilltop by the Bay and The Shops at Hilltop official website
- Office leasing website The Offices at Hilltop