Vallco Shopping Mall

Vallco Shopping Mall
Interior view of Vallco Shopping Mall, then called Cupertino Square
Location Cupertino, California, United States
Coordinates 37°19′35″N 122°00′52″W / 37.3263°N 122.0144°W / 37.3263; -122.0144Coordinates: 37°19′35″N 122°00′52″W / 37.3263°N 122.0144°W / 37.3263; -122.0144
Address 10123 N Wolfe Road, Cupertino, California 95014
Opening date September 1, 1976
Developer Vallco Fashion Park Venture (Phillip Lyon, Gordon & Co. and Vallco Park Ltd.)
Owner Sand Hill Property Co.
No. of stores and services

140 (1976)

190 (1988)
No. of anchor tenants 0
Total retail floor area 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m2)
Macy's 179,962 sq ft (16,719.0 m2)
Sears 257,548 sq ft (23,927.0 m2)
J. C. Penney 548,856 sq ft (50,990.4 m2)
No. of floors 3

Vallco Shopping Mall (formerly called Cupertino Square and Vallco Fashion Park) is a three-level dead mall located in Cupertino, California, United States. It was formerly anchored by Macy's, Sears, and J.C. Penney. As of April 2018, the mall is owned by Sand Hill Property Co. and is almost entirely vacant, with Cupertino Ice Center (formerly the Ice Capades Chalet), Bowlmor Lanes, Dynasty Seafood Restaurant, and Benihana as the only remaining tenants.

A plan by Sand Hill to rebuild Vallco as a mixed-use development with retail, housing, and office space topped by a green roof park was cancelled after Cupertino voters rejected Measure D on the November 2016 ballot.[1] After obtaining community input in the planning phase,[2] the project ran into significant push-back from citizens who wanted to freeze the site as retail-only, citing concerns about traffic and schools.[3] In 2018 Sand Hill proposed a revised development plan with more housing.

Major stores and activities

Vallco was formerly anchored by the following department stores:

AMC Theatres also left the mall on March 22, 2018. Currently, the primary attractions are Bowlmor Lanes and Cupertino Ice Center.

Winter morning at the farmers' market

Vallco also formerly hosted the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market in the parking lot behind J. C. Penney. The market's last day at Vallco was December 30, 2016, after which it relocated to nearby Creekside Park.[4]

History

Origins and expansion

In the early 1970s, the Cupertino City Council held public hearings on the possible locations of a regional shopping center in the city. After it decided the city could only support one center, the Vallco group found itself competing with another group led by orchard owner Paul Mariani, Jr. In 1973, the city council decided it wanted the regional shopping center on the edge of the city and gave the proper zoning to Vallco.[5]

Vallco Fashion Park held its grand opening at 6:00pm on September 1, 1976. In its first several years, the mall's main walkway was punctuated by several parks showcasing aspects of local history, ranging from apricots to Klystron tubes.[6] Vallco was one of the largest shopping centers in Silicon Valley and soon drew customers from all over the region.

One of the early features of the mall was the ice skating rink attached to the shopping center. The Ice Capades Chalet, open for almost ten years, began to encounter trouble in 1986, when proposals to close it and replace it with movie theatres emerged (not to be confused with the more recent AMC Theatres, which was instead built on a new third level over the central portion of the mall). By June 3, 1988, the rink faced imminent closure, until the Cupertino city council stepped in and kept the rink open when faced with vocal protest. At the time, the ice rink was one of two year-round skating rinks nearby – the other being the identical Ice Capades Chalet at San Mateo Fashion Island.

It was also the first place that sold San Jose Sharks merchandise, before the SAP Center (formerly called the San Jose Arena and the HP Pavilion) was built.

Beginning in 1986, increased competition from other regional malls such as Stanford Shopping Center and in particular Valley Fair (renovated into an indoor shopping mall that year) began to cause Vallco trouble. Foot traffic began to rapidly decline, and tenants began to move to these competing malls. In July 1988, an $20 million expansion for Vallco was announced, which would add a lower level and 50 stores, increasing the total store count from 140 to 190.[7] Ultimately, this expansion was completed in August, 1988, adding a total of 60 stores.[8]

On the weekend of August 11, 1990, Tilt Family Entertainment Center opened on the lower level (where the original food court used to be).[9]

Deterioration and renovation

Occupancy began to decline in the 1990s, and the emptying of the mall continued into the present day (as of September 2017). One reason for this decline was that the selection of mid-range stores didn't reflect the affluence of the surrounding populace.

Early 2000s

Alan Wong, Emily Chen, and John Nguyen bought Vallco and began renovation of the mostly empty mall in 2005. By 2006, Vallco had the lowest occupancy rate of any mall in the area, at just 24 percent. One of the changes made to Vallco as part of these new renovations was to completely close the first of the mall's two levels in 2005, leaving the focus on the second floor. From there, new tenants were pulled in over the next few years.

In 2006, Cupertino voters prevented re-zoning of part of the Vallco property for condominiums by overturning a re-zoning ordinance that was passed by the city council. The loss of the revenue that was expected from this sale contributed to the financial problems of the owners. The contractor for the movie theater, DPR, filed a mechanic's lien against the owners for approximately US$10 million in July 2007, which was settled the following September when Orbit Resources acquired the mall.

Vallco Fashion Park's name was changed to Cupertino Square in 2007.[10] Later that year, the owners sold three parcels of land to Evershine Property Management and sold a controlling stake of the mall to Orbit Resources,[11] which switched managing agents from Landmark Property Management to Jones Lang LaSalle.[12]

On May 4, 2007, a new 16-screen AMC movie theater opened in the center of the mall, coinciding with the theatrical release of Spider-Man 3. The grand opening of this highly anticipated film and the theater was heavily marketed towards the students of nearby Cupertino High School.

Renovation of the mall that began in 2005 continued. By 2009, two new parking structures, the movie theater, a food court, and Strike Bowling (at the former location of Tilt Family Entertainment Center) had been added to the complex. Future plans included shops facing the street at the corner of Wolfe Road and Vallco Parkway and a seismic upgrade of the parking garage west of the theaters as well as the main mall structure, two new hotels and a Hofbrau Beer Hall adjacent the theaters. The bankruptcy filing in 2008 derailed all the future plans (hotel retail and the beer hall).

In September 2008, the two owners of the complex filed for bankruptcy to prevent the primary financier, Gramercy Capital, from foreclosing on their property. According to Gramercy, the assets of the company fell well below the debt owed, though the consortium disputed this.[13]

In September 2009, Vietnamese food processing company Son Son Co. purchased Cupertino Square for US$64 million in an all-cash transaction. The new owners restored the name Vallco Shopping Mall.[14]

Current ownership

In October 2014, Sand Hill Property Co. purchased the Macy's, J. C. Penney, and Sears sites for approximately US$200 million.[15] In November 2014, Sand Hill completed purchase of the entire mall for a total of US$320 million, the first time the entire mall including the anchor stores had been under the same ownership.[16][17][2]

In January 2015, J. C. Penney and Macy's announced plans to close their Vallco locations;[18][19] Sears also announced that its store would close in October 2015.[2]

In August 2015, Sand Hill announced a plan to demolish the mall structures and make it into The Hills at Vallco, a retail, office, and residential development based on a street grid. It was to be covered with the world's largest green roof, to be occupied by a city park. Rafael Viñoly Architects and OLIN Landscape Architects were selected as chief designers of the project.[2]

In November 2016, voters rejected two ballot initiatives related to Vallco:[20] Measure C, which would have attempted to freeze Vallco as a retail center without offices or housing, in addition to imposing additional restrictions on development options throughout the city, and Measure D, which would have approved the proposed Hills at Vallco project, bypassing standard city approval processes.[1][21][22] In the wake of the votes, Sand Hill announced it would stop investing in the mall. Managing Director Reed Moulds said the company "will not sell the land nor make investments into the current failed asset. In order for us to invest in Vallco we have to be certain it will be a worthwhile investment and not just the Band-Aid approaches that have failed Vallco for decades. Until Cupertino is ready for that approach, we have no choice but to stop".[1] In a follow-up statement, he said current tenants' leases would be honored so long as they remained at the mall; AMC Theatres, Bowlmor Lanes, Ice Center Cupertino, and Benihana all indicated their intention to stay. However, all vacant areas of the mall are to be closed for security reasons, and remaining tenants without lease terms are to be evicted.[23]

In May 2017, Sand Hill began implementing the closure of vacant areas, with seven new interior walls erected and a fenced-off section in front of the former Macy's.[24] On March 7, 2018, Vallco property owner Sand Hill and AMC Theatres announced that the movie theater would close on March 22, 2018 – making the 16-screen megaplex's lifespan less than 11 years.[25]

In March 2018 Sand Hill proposed a revised mixed-use development plan with an increase from 800 to 2,402 residential units, and still including a roof-top park. The company submitted an application under SB 35, a recent California law that seeks to mitigate the state's housing crisis by eliminating the requirement for local approval of certain kinds of developments that include housing.[26] This proposal has received more support.[27] Advisory plans being developed by members of the community through a charrette would include 2,400 residential units and more retail space than Sand Hill's plan.[28]

Demolition

On October 11, 2018, Sand Hill initiated demolition of parking structures of the mall, followed by demolition of the mall itself in six to nine months' time.[29]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Cupertino voters reject dueling Vallco initiatives, final closure of mall planned". Silicon Valley Business Journal. November 9, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wilson, Matt (August 26, 2015). "Cupertino: Largest green roof in the world proposed for new Vallco Mall project in Cupertino". San Jose Mercury News.
  3. ↑ "Cupertino building initiatives spark zoning feuds". First Tuesday Journal. May 31, 2016.
  4. ↑ Myllenbeck, Kristi (January 12, 2017). "Cupertino: Vallco farmers' market to relocate to Creekside Park". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  5. ↑ Fuller, David W. "Vallco Park: From Orchards to Industry". In Sharman Schultz, Linda. Cupertino Chronicle (2002 Edition). Cupthistory.org (2002 ed.). Cupertino Historical Society. pp. 155–165.
  6. ↑ "Cupertino.org: History", Cupertino.org
  7. ↑ "Paving the Way: Vallco Plans $20 Million Expansion", San Jose Mercury News, 1987-07-02
  8. ↑ "Vallco Strikes Back: Cupertino Mall Opens Big Addition", San Jose Mercury News, 1988-08-26
  9. ↑ "For the Vid in All of Us: Video Games, Bumper Cars, Pinball — The Tilt Arcade is Something Like a Kid's Idea of Heaven", San Jose Mercury News, 1990-08-14
  10. ↑ Kraatz, Cody (2007-02-14), "Vallco gets new name to go with its new look, shop", Cupertino Courier
  11. ↑ Lu, Crystal (2007-10-03), "Cupertino Square and 3 parcels are bought by local investors", Cupertino Courier
  12. ↑ Jones Lang LaSalle press release, Jones Lang LaSalle Named Leasing and Managing Agent for Cupertino Square, (2007-10-09)
  13. ↑ Simonson, Sharon (2008-09-04). "Cupertino Square owners file for bankruptcy". San Jose Business Journal. San Jose News. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
  14. ↑ Conrad, Katherine (2009-10-16). "Cupertino Square deal brings new owners, returns to old name". San Jose Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  15. ↑ "Developer buys anchor stores at Cupertino's Vallco mall; J.C. Penney and Sears to close", Silicon Valley Business Journal, 2014-10-28
  16. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Sand Hill Property Completes Purchase of Entire Vallco Mall for Total of $320MM", The Registry, 2014-11-12
  17. ↑ "Vallco finally under single ownership — Pau's Sand Hill lands last piece of mall puzzle", Silicon Valley Business Journal, 2014-11-12
  18. ↑ Strauss, Gary (2015-01-08). "J.C. Penney, Macy's to shut stores, lay off scores". USA Today.
  19. ↑ Macy's, Inc. (2015-01-08). "Press release: Macy's, Inc. Evolves with Changing Customer Landscape, Invests for Continued Sales Growth".
  20. ↑ "Cupertino Election Results". Cupertino.org. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  21. ↑ "Vallco project officially on the November Election Ballot". San Jose Mercury News. July 15, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Cupertino Measures C and D". Cupertino City Clerk. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  23. ↑ Myllenbeck, Kristi (December 24, 2016). "Cupertino: Vallco theater, ice rink, bowling alley to remain open". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Vallco's last holdouts stuck in limbo as walls begin to rise inside Cupertino's dying mall". Silicon Valley Business Journal. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  25. ↑ Weber, Brendan (March 7, 2018). "AMC Cupertino Square 16 Movie Theater Slated to Close". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  26. ↑ Marisa Kendall (March 30, 2018). "Developer tries to fast-track housing". Sunnyvale Sun. Bay Area News Group. pp. 1, 5.
  27. ↑ Khalida Sarwari (April 13, 2018). "Advocates, residents say they support plan". Sunnyvale Sun. Bay Area News Group. p. 6.
  28. ↑ Khalida Sarwari (April 27, 2018). "Community draws up alternative plans for Vallco mall". Sunnyvale Sun. Bay Area News Group. p. 10.
  29. ↑ "Future of Vallco Mall site in Cupertino causes concern for some residents". October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
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