Sunset Esplanade
Encyclopedia
The Sunset Esplanade is an outdoor shopping center located in the southeast part of Hillsboro
, in the U.S. state
of Oregon
. Opened in 1989, the center is along Tualatin Valley Highway
(TV Highway) at Minter Bridge Road and includes about five anchor tenants and about thirty other tenants in a complex with about 363000 square feet (33,723.8 m²) of space. Neighbors opposed the center when it was proposed, due to concerns over increased traffic and how it would blend with existing residential neighborhoods. After appeals to the Hillsboro City Council and state land use board, the $23 million project received approval almost two years after first proposed.
for residential use. The developers at that point proposed at most a 300000 ft2 center, and were unsure if they would develop the residential portion of the land. Real Property Resources did not yet own the land, and were unsure what type of residential development they would build if they decided to develop the acres zoned as residential. By May of that year, the developer had proposed re-zoning the residential portion of the land to high-density to allow for the development of apartments on the eastern portion of the land.
Neighbors around the proposed development began fighting it, as they were opposed to proposed apartment
s as not mixing with the existing single-family home
s around the site, as well as being opposed to the planned extension of Cypress Street that would convert what had been a dead-end road into a collector street
connecting Main Street to TV Highway via 32nd Avenue. In May, the developers removed plans to build apartments as part of the project, and instead opted to use nearly 12 acres (4.9 ha) that would have been used for housing for additional commercial development. At that time the shopping mall was expected to cost $23 million and total as much as 350000 ft2, all on the western portion of the undeveloped parcel, though other plans called for the center on the eastern portion. Low-density housing was still planned for the remainder of the 95 acres (38.4 ha) plot. Early plans included proposals for a covered mall with four anchor tenants with up to 400000 ft2 of space in total. Due to neighborhood opposition, focused mainly on housing density and increased traffic, the city’s planning commission delayed final decisions on the developer’s proposals several times.
In August 1986, the Planning Commission approved changing the city’s comprehensive plan to allow for the shopping center to use some land previously zoned for residential, and affirmed that decision a month later. The decision only allowed for the land to be changed from one designation to another under the comprehensive plan, but did not actually change the zoning designation at that time. Opponents of the project planned to appeal the decision to the City Council, which the hearings on the appeal were postponed by the Council to allow more input from the public. In November 1986, the City Council voted unanimously to allow the change that would convert 12 acres at the site into commercially zoned land, and allow for the mall to be built.
Opponents of the shopping center then appealed the city’s decision to the Oregon State Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) in December 1986. Meanwhile, the developers formally requested the change from residential to commercial zoning on the acreage at issue in January 1987, which neighbors again opposed. After LUBA accepted most of the city’s argument, the City Council held more meetings on the proposed shopping center before finally giving approval to develop the center in August 1987.
Final design plans were presented to the city in November 1987 that called for a 312000 ft2 open-air shopping center that was approximately 2000 feet (609.6 m) long, all set back from TV Highway, with an additional six buildings closer to the highway. It was then announced that the mall would be named The Sunset Esplanade and that Target
and Lamonts
had been signed up as tenants. The development was expected to cost $22 million to build, and once open, would create 770 full-time jobs. The Planning Commission approved the plans on a six-to-one vote that month, with construction expected to start in spring 1988 and be finished about February 1989. The developers finally purchased the land for the mall in February 1988. Designs called for Target to have a 102000 ft2 store and Lamonts to have a 45000 ft2 store, with space for three other anchor tenants.
In January 1989, retailer PayLess Drugs
began using a new store format, with the first store in Oregon with the new style being the new store at the Esplanade that opened in August 1989. The developers, Real Property Resources Inc., almost sold the Esplanade in November 1989 for between $21 and $25 million to an undisclosed California trust. The deal went as far as Real Property Resources obtaining a convertible mortgage on the property. Any deal for the then-344232 ft2 center would not have included the Target store, as that retailer owns its own 101909 ft2 store along with eight acres. Other tenants at that time included Safeway
, Lamonts, Pay Less, and Seafirst Bank
.
When the shopping center opened, it was blamed for many businesses moving from Downtown Hillsboro to the new center. For instance, Safeway had relocated from downtown. The Esplanade expanded in 1991, when 6000 ft2 were added to the B building, where PETCO
is today, to increase the size to 15000 ft2.
In May 1992, the Kuwaiti Investment Authority through Bay 605 Corp. purchased the shopping center for almost $21 million from the developers. At that time the main tenants were J.K. Gill, Target, PayLess Drugs, and clothing retailer Lamonts. In February 2002, Bay 605 Corp. sold off the center to Pan Pacific Retail Properties for about $28.6 million. The sale included 256000 square feet (23,783.2 m²) of leasable space, as Target owns the property its store occupies within the 358000 ft2 mall. At that time 98 percent of the mall was leased, and there were a total of ten offers on the property while it was up for sale. The center's main tenants at that time included Rite Aid
, Safeway, Factory 2U, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and Petco, with Target owning their own space.
In November 2009, the back portion of the center was vandalized by three teenagers who were then charged with 32 counts of criminal mischief, among other charges, for their single night of activity. The Esplanade was the scene of a stabbing over a hat in December 2009. One man was stabbed after saying “nice hat” to another man who was wearing an Oakland Raiders
cap. Owner Pan Pacific was sold to Kimco Realty Corporation
in 2006, and Kimco sold off part of the mall to Israel-based BIG Group in 2010.
. Portland-based Benner Stange Associates were the architects, while Wilsey and Ham served as the engineers. The project included $1 million in infrastructure improvements in the area, which included two new traffic signals on TV Highway. The main line of buildings runs in an east-west direction, set back from the highway.
Located at the intersection of Tualatin Valley Highway
and Minter Bridge Road in southeast Hillsboro, the outdoor shopping center has a total of 260965 ft2 of gross leasable area
and 2,090 parking spaces. Target has an additional 101909 ft2 of space within the center. The Sunset Esplanade anchor tenants are Target, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Ross Stores, Rite Aid, and Safeway, while other retailers number about 30 in total. The current owners are PKI Sunset Esplanade, LLC and Kimco Realty Corporation.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
, in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Opened in 1989, the center is along Tualatin Valley Highway
Tualatin Valley Highway
The Tualatin Valley Highway No. 29 is an Oregon highway which passes through the Tualatin Valley, between the cities of McMinnville and Beaverton...
(TV Highway) at Minter Bridge Road and includes about five anchor tenants and about thirty other tenants in a complex with about 363000 square feet (33,723.8 m²) of space. Neighbors opposed the center when it was proposed, due to concerns over increased traffic and how it would blend with existing residential neighborhoods. After appeals to the Hillsboro City Council and state land use board, the $23 million project received approval almost two years after first proposed.
History
Real Property Resources, Inc. announced plans in January 1986 to investigate building a shopping center on 100 acres (40.5 ha) at what was then Southeast 21st Avenue and Tualatin Valley Highway. At the time, the land was farmland, and of those 100 acres, 32 were zoned for commercial development, with the remainder zonedZoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
for residential use. The developers at that point proposed at most a 300000 ft2 center, and were unsure if they would develop the residential portion of the land. Real Property Resources did not yet own the land, and were unsure what type of residential development they would build if they decided to develop the acres zoned as residential. By May of that year, the developer had proposed re-zoning the residential portion of the land to high-density to allow for the development of apartments on the eastern portion of the land.
Neighbors around the proposed development began fighting it, as they were opposed to proposed apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s as not mixing with the existing single-family home
Single-family home
A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling or separate house is a free-standing residential building. It is defined in opposition to a multi-family dwelling.- Definitions :...
s around the site, as well as being opposed to the planned extension of Cypress Street that would convert what had been a dead-end road into a collector street
Collector road
A collector road or distributor road is a low to moderate-capacity road which serve to move traffic from local streets to arterial roads. Unlike arterials, collectors are also designed to provide access to residential properties...
connecting Main Street to TV Highway via 32nd Avenue. In May, the developers removed plans to build apartments as part of the project, and instead opted to use nearly 12 acres (4.9 ha) that would have been used for housing for additional commercial development. At that time the shopping mall was expected to cost $23 million and total as much as 350000 ft2, all on the western portion of the undeveloped parcel, though other plans called for the center on the eastern portion. Low-density housing was still planned for the remainder of the 95 acres (38.4 ha) plot. Early plans included proposals for a covered mall with four anchor tenants with up to 400000 ft2 of space in total. Due to neighborhood opposition, focused mainly on housing density and increased traffic, the city’s planning commission delayed final decisions on the developer’s proposals several times.
In August 1986, the Planning Commission approved changing the city’s comprehensive plan to allow for the shopping center to use some land previously zoned for residential, and affirmed that decision a month later. The decision only allowed for the land to be changed from one designation to another under the comprehensive plan, but did not actually change the zoning designation at that time. Opponents of the project planned to appeal the decision to the City Council, which the hearings on the appeal were postponed by the Council to allow more input from the public. In November 1986, the City Council voted unanimously to allow the change that would convert 12 acres at the site into commercially zoned land, and allow for the mall to be built.
Opponents of the shopping center then appealed the city’s decision to the Oregon State Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) in December 1986. Meanwhile, the developers formally requested the change from residential to commercial zoning on the acreage at issue in January 1987, which neighbors again opposed. After LUBA accepted most of the city’s argument, the City Council held more meetings on the proposed shopping center before finally giving approval to develop the center in August 1987.
Final design plans were presented to the city in November 1987 that called for a 312000 ft2 open-air shopping center that was approximately 2000 feet (609.6 m) long, all set back from TV Highway, with an additional six buildings closer to the highway. It was then announced that the mall would be named The Sunset Esplanade and that Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
and Lamonts
Lamonts
Lamonts was a chain of department stores founded in Seattle, Washington. The chain was started in 1970 when Pay 'n Save renamed its suburban branches of Rhodes, a department store chain the company acquired in 1965. Lamonts remained a division of Pay 'n Save until 1985...
had been signed up as tenants. The development was expected to cost $22 million to build, and once open, would create 770 full-time jobs. The Planning Commission approved the plans on a six-to-one vote that month, with construction expected to start in spring 1988 and be finished about February 1989. The developers finally purchased the land for the mall in February 1988. Designs called for Target to have a 102000 ft2 store and Lamonts to have a 45000 ft2 store, with space for three other anchor tenants.
In January 1989, retailer PayLess Drugs
Thrifty PayLess
Thrifty PayLess Holdings, Inc. was a pharmacy holding company that owned the Thrifty Drugs and PayLess Drug Stores chains in the western United States....
began using a new store format, with the first store in Oregon with the new style being the new store at the Esplanade that opened in August 1989. The developers, Real Property Resources Inc., almost sold the Esplanade in November 1989 for between $21 and $25 million to an undisclosed California trust. The deal went as far as Real Property Resources obtaining a convertible mortgage on the property. Any deal for the then-344232 ft2 center would not have included the Target store, as that retailer owns its own 101909 ft2 store along with eight acres. Other tenants at that time included Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
, Lamonts, Pay Less, and Seafirst Bank
Seafirst Bank
Seafirst Corporation was a bank holding company based in Seattle, Washington. Formed on November 11, 1929, from the merger of Seattle's three largest banks, the First National Bank Group, the Dexter Horton National Bank , and Seattle National Bank, the bank was originally named First Seattle Dexter...
.
When the shopping center opened, it was blamed for many businesses moving from Downtown Hillsboro to the new center. For instance, Safeway had relocated from downtown. The Esplanade expanded in 1991, when 6000 ft2 were added to the B building, where PETCO
PETCO
PETCO is a chain of retail stores that offers pet supplies and services such as grooming and dog training. Founded in 1965 and incorporated in Delaware, it is headquartered in San Diego, California...
is today, to increase the size to 15000 ft2.
In May 1992, the Kuwaiti Investment Authority through Bay 605 Corp. purchased the shopping center for almost $21 million from the developers. At that time the main tenants were J.K. Gill, Target, PayLess Drugs, and clothing retailer Lamonts. In February 2002, Bay 605 Corp. sold off the center to Pan Pacific Retail Properties for about $28.6 million. The sale included 256000 square feet (23,783.2 m²) of leasable space, as Target owns the property its store occupies within the 358000 ft2 mall. At that time 98 percent of the mall was leased, and there were a total of ten offers on the property while it was up for sale. The center's main tenants at that time included Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
, Safeway, Factory 2U, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and Petco, with Target owning their own space.
In November 2009, the back portion of the center was vandalized by three teenagers who were then charged with 32 counts of criminal mischief, among other charges, for their single night of activity. The Esplanade was the scene of a stabbing over a hat in December 2009. One man was stabbed after saying “nice hat” to another man who was wearing an Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
cap. Owner Pan Pacific was sold to Kimco Realty Corporation
Kimco Realty Corporation
Kimco Realty Corporation, , a Real Estate Investment Trust , owns and operates North America’s largest portfolio of neighborhood and community shopping centers. As of September 30, 2011, the company owned interests in 937 shopping center properties comprising 137,100,000 sqft of leasable space...
in 2006, and Kimco sold off part of the mall to Israel-based BIG Group in 2010.
Details
The stucco-faced center was developed by Real Property Resources Inc., based in Torrance, CaliforniaTorrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
. Portland-based Benner Stange Associates were the architects, while Wilsey and Ham served as the engineers. The project included $1 million in infrastructure improvements in the area, which included two new traffic signals on TV Highway. The main line of buildings runs in an east-west direction, set back from the highway.
Located at the intersection of Tualatin Valley Highway
Tualatin Valley Highway
The Tualatin Valley Highway No. 29 is an Oregon highway which passes through the Tualatin Valley, between the cities of McMinnville and Beaverton...
and Minter Bridge Road in southeast Hillsboro, the outdoor shopping center has a total of 260965 ft2 of gross leasable area
Gross leasable area
Gross leasable area in the retail development industry is a term applied to shopping malls, lifestyle centers, outlet malls and other retail centers to indicate the amount of floor space available to be rented...
and 2,090 parking spaces. Target has an additional 101909 ft2 of space within the center. The Sunset Esplanade anchor tenants are Target, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Ross Stores, Rite Aid, and Safeway, while other retailers number about 30 in total. The current owners are PKI Sunset Esplanade, LLC and Kimco Realty Corporation.