Westlake Shopping Center

Westlake Shopping Center is one of the first shopping malls built in America; ground was broken in 1948 for the mall in Daly City, California, United States. It is anchored by Burlington Coat Factory, Home Depot, Ross, Safeway, Target, and Walgreens.

Westlake Shopping Center

Location	Daly City, CA, United States
Coordinates	37.69779°N 122.48211°W / 37.69779; -122.48211
Opening date	April 20, 1951 (1951-04-20)
Management	Kimco Realty Corporation
Owner	Kimco Realty Corporation
No. of stores and services	98
No. of anchor tenants	5
Total retail floor area	613,006 square feet (56,950.1 m2)
No. of floors	1
Parking	1,800 spaces
Website	Westlake Shopping Center Website

History

In 1945, developer Henry Doelger purchased 1,350 acres (550 ha) of land in San Mateo County just south of San Francisco; the tracts had previously been used for hog and cabbage farming. Over the next twenty years, Doelger would go on to develop the area into the Westlake neighborhood of Daly City, including the 40-acre (16 ha) shopping center, originally named Westlake Town & Country Shopping Center, in the center of the tract.^[1] Doelger broke ground on the Westlake development in 1949;^[2] the groundbreaking ceremony for the shopping center was held in March 1949.^[3] The uniform appearance of the planned community (notorious for its racial restrictions)^[4] inspired singer Malvina Reynolds to write the song "Little Boxes" in 1962.^[5]

Westlake opened on April 20, 1951, making it one of the earliest malls in America; at the time, its 3,000-car parking area was the largest in America.^{[6]: 40–43} It was also the first community shopping center in the Bay Area. Its open-air pedestrian promenades allowed the center to be used for outdoor concerts, art shows, fairs, dances, and other community events for many years.^[7]

Doelger sold the Westlake Shopping Center in 1965.^[1] Westlake was subsequently purchased by the Westlake Development Company in 1972,^[8] who later sold it to its current owners, Kimco Realty Corporation, on October 22, 2002.^[9]

In 2017 Kimco announced plans to add apartments above ground-level retail at Westlake.^[10] Under those plans, a 6-story mixed-use building with 179 apartments on the upper floors would replace an existing 2-story commercial building and a 60-space parking lot; underground parking would be provided for 260 cars.^[11][12] The proposed mixed-use building would replace the existing northeast corner of the Westlake site, near the intersection of John Daly Boulevard and Park Plaza Drive.^[13] The developer has received permission for this plan.^[14][15]

In 2018, it was announced that Kimco has plans to work to develop in housing at Daly City.^[16]

Design

Aerial view of Westlake Shopping Center from north, with Trader Joe's on left and Home Depot on right.

Westlake Shopping Center occupies the super-block bounded by John Daly Boulevard (on the north), Park Plaza Drive (on the east), Southgate Avenue (on the south), and Lake Merced Boulevard (on the west); it also encompasses the retail/business properties on the south side of Southgate, extending west past Lake Merced Blvd.

Phase I renovation

Westlake was renovated starting in 2004; Kimco have used the site to test programs to build consumer traffic, including offering Wi-Fi and electric vehicle charging stations on-site.^[17] The J.C. Penney building was demolished in 2005^[18] and a Home Depot store was constructed on its old site. In addition, a Cost Plus World Market opened in a new building in the center of the mall. Phase I involved relocation and enlargement of the Trader Joe's. Phase I will involve demolition of 173,032 square feet (16,075.2 m²) of retail space, construction of approximately 194,419 sq ft (18,062 m²) of new retail development, and the removal of 96 parking spaces, resulting in 21,387 sq ft (1,987 m²) of net new development and a 5 percent reduction of parking stalls.^[19] The decor was modified to give the mall's center strip a Main Street look.^[20]

Phase II renovation

Phase II involves construction of 96,005 sq ft (8,919 m²) of new retail uses, including construction of a 30,000 sq ft (3,000 m²) second floor addition to the existing one-story retail building. Phase II also involves construction of a 160,666-square-foot (14,926 m²) parking garage, construction of necessary public improvements, relocation of utilities in the shopping center, and upgrading pedestrian walkways and vehicle facilities.^[21]

Anchors

• Burlington Coat Factory
• Ross
• The Home Depot
• Safeway
• Walgreens

The original Westlake Shopping center featured J. C. Penney and Woolworth as its anchor stores.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. Landmark Designation Report: Doelger Building, 320–326 Judah Street, Landmark No. 265 (PDF) (Report). Historic Preservation Commission, San Francisco Planning Department. 2013. pp. 34–35. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
2. "Huge Residential Project Launched". San Bernardino Sun. AP. March 5, 1949. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
3. Gillespie, Bunny (2003). Daly City. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-1418-1. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
4. Lloyd, Carol (December 10, 2002). "Westlake Wars / Residents in a Daly City subdivision fight their homeowners association". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
5. Moffitt, Mike (November 9, 2018). "Fake travel promotion gently mocks Daly City". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
6. Gillespie, Bunny (2008). "Three: 'Doelger's Greatest Achievement'". Westlake. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5911-7. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
7. "Westlake: San Francisco's Original Suburb". Daly City History. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
8. "A Westlake Realty Timeline". Westlake Realty. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
9. "Kimco Realty Corporation Establishes Partnership With Westlake Development Company, Inc" (Press release). Kimco Realty Corporation. October 22, 2002. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
10. Torres, Blanca (October 6, 2017). "Reinventing retail: Peninsula strip mall wants to add apartments". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
11. Preliminary Plan for Planned Development PD 4-17-12761 Mixed-Use Retail/Apartment Building – 10 Park Plaza Drive (Westlake Shopping Center) (PDF) (Report). City of Daly City. December 11, 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
12. Westlake Shopping Center Mixed-Use Building (10 Park Plaza Drive) – General Plan Amendment GPA 4-17-12760, Planned Developmentn 4-17-12761, Design Review DR 4-17-12762, and CEQA Review CEQA 4-17-12763 (PDF) (Report). City of Daly City. September 10, 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
13. Department of Economic and Community Development, City of Daly City (April 2018). Initial Study: Westlake Shopping Center Mixed-Use Project (PDF) (Report). City of Daly City. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
14. Hoeven, Emily (September 7, 2018). "Daly City shopping center could bag some housing". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
15. Nagel, Allison (September 12, 2018). "Kimco Realty Is Adding Housing To Bay Area Mall Sites". Bisnow. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
16. Hoeven, Emily (7 September 2018). "Daly City shopping center could bag some housing". Retrieved 18 September 2022.
17. Glazer, Geoff; Simmons, Tom. "Kimco's 2020 Vision: Investor Day 2015, Part II" (PDF). Kimco Realty. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
18. "Continuing Change at Westlake Shopping Center". City of Daly City. March 2, 2005. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
19. City Services Article about Phase II Retrieved June 9, 2007
20. Daly City Fogcutter, Retrieved June 7, 2007
21. City Services Article about Phase II Retrieved June 7, 2007

External links

• San Francisco Bay Area portal

• Official website
• Little Boxes Architecture book and documentary film about Westlake, by Rob Keil
• Attachment B: Westlake Shopping Center Mixed-Use Redevelopment by Kimco/SGPA, October 12, 2017