Americana's New Expansion Plans
The Americana at Brand shopping center wants to expand its 15.5 acres in Glendale, Calif., and on Nov. 30, the town’s redevelopment agency gave a green light for more talk on expansion plans, according to Philip Lanzafame, the city’s director of redevelopment.
Americana owner Caruso Affiliated is interested in acquiring an area adjacent to the mall to build 60,000 to 140,000 square feet of retail on West Colorado Boulevard. However, the area is already occupied by the Golden Key Hotel and a former recording studio. City documents noted that Caruso Affiliated had been unsuccessful at acquiring these properties in the past.
Caruso Affiliated hoped to nudge forward a request to acquire the land by submitting a letter of interest in owner participation in early November. The letter is a tool where a property owner can propose redevelopment, Lanzafame said. The redevelopment agency specifically gave its green light to asking the two property owners on the 120 block of West Colorado for their ideas on redeveloping the property. The property owners have 45 days to submit their ideas, according to Lanzafame.
In other Caruso news, Caruso’s mall project in Arcadia, Calif., 16 miles east of Glendale, has not been revived after the development partnership to build the mall at the Santa Anita Racetrack was dissolved in May, according to that city’s development-services director, Jason Krukeberg.
“There is no project at the moment,” Krukeberg wrote in an e-mail. “We understand that [Caruso Affiliated owner] Rick Caruso has been in talks with the Santa Anita Racetrack ownership for some time working on a new deal and a new project, but nothing has been submitted to date.”—Andrew Asch
