Over 300 attend Rancho Del Mar Planning Meeting
By Noel Smith
The Monarch Meeting Room at the Seascape Golf Club was packed with residents for the community meeting about the future of the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center.
At the beginning of the meeting Bruce Walton of Terramar emphasized that the intent of the company was to improve the shopping center, not to change the configuration. He also addressed the loss of the Aptos Cinema. Landmark Cinemas of Los Angeles, which had recently purchased the Nickelodeon theater chain, was not willing to negotiate a lease with Terramar for what the property was worth. The former theater will soon become the new home of a current Rancho Del Mar tenant, Ace Hardware.
The center’s other anchor stores such as Rite Aid and Aptos Shoes and Apparel will remain with refurbishing and improvements to all the property, which is expected to take about two years to complete. Safeway will be remodeled to provide the store more storage space for stock. Walton also stated that the Western Ranch character of the center would be retained with no second story additions and no mixed-use, retail only, along with needed improvements to comply with ADA requirements.
Nicole Hauscarriague, VP Leasing for Terramar said that future tenants would be a mix of retail and restaurant local, regional and possibly even national chains. For the new tenants they intend to concentrate on filling the gaps in the variety of retail and restaurant choices available to the community.
The major issues that were brought up by the attendees were: • The gas station and the traffic it generates • The routing of vehicles into and out of the gas station • Lack of parking for Safeway • Lack of security and insufficient lighting throughout the complex • Keeping the feel and character of the center.
Some of the improvements suggested to Terramar were: • Shade trees and more landscaping • Electric vehicle charging stations • Pedestrian access to the Aptos Library • Outdoor café and picnic areas • Permeable paving and rainwater catchments • Better traffic mitigation • Taking out the gas station • Installing Solar Panels over the parking lot.
Businesses that people would like to see: • Stationery Store • Gift Shop with local art • Wine Tasting • Micro-brewery • Movie Theater • Italian Restaurant • Discovery Museum • Deli • Book Store • Pet shop and Supplies • Auto Parts • Tesla Sales • Hooters… (It was obviously getting late by then.)
Currently there are 43 retail spaces listed on Terramar’s website for the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center with 17 of these shown as vacant. This means there will be a lot of new business moving into the center in the future so be sure to “Shop Local” as they become part of our community.
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Terramar is planning a “refreshing” of the existing shopping center and will present details at a future community meeting. To ask your questions or send your suggestions to Terramar Centers, please Email: [email protected]
For more information about the company and their properties visit: www.terramarcenters.com