PETALUMA -- Several years coming, the newest Target department store in the North Bay and the first in Petaluma opened Tuesday at the city's newest and largest shopping center.
Attending the ribbon-cutting Tuesday for the anchor tenant of the 342,661-square-foot East Washington Place regional mall at 401 Kenilworth Dr. were Assemblyman Marc Levine, Target store manager Ricardo Blanco, the store's new 200-strong workforce and their families, and Petaluma officials.
Construction on the mall started early last year. Target is the third major retailer to open there, following debuts of Dick's Sporting Goods and Sprouts in early June.
Joining them in the next six weeks are set to be Beverages & More in a freestanding building and T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods in the same building as Dick's and Sprouts, according to Matthew Kircher, executive managing partner of Terranomics, part of Cassidy Turley and the listing brokerage for East Washington Place. Jennifer Smith of Jacksonville, Fl.-based Regency Centers is the senior leasing agent for the project.
Smaller retailers are scheduling openings over the next few months.
"Demand for space at EWP has been high," Mr. Kircher said. "The center is 94 percent leased. This is one of the first centers on the West Coast to begin construction and leasing after the recession."
The architect for this approximately $60 million project is MCG Architecture, a designer and planner of shopping centers and retail buildings. The general contractor is Midstate Construction Company.
"This eco-friendly project has been designed to exceed California Title 24 green code requirements by 20 percent, giving it enough points to apply for LEED Silver Certification,"according to Roger Nelson, LEED AP, president of Midstate. "The speed of delivery of this project (following an initial period of public opposition) was based on the architect, owner and the city working well together as a team.'More stores to open soon
A number of smaller retailers will occupy four smaller buildings at the center. Among them are Chase Bank, Cheese Steak Shop, Chesapeake Shop, Chipolte Mexican Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, H&R Block, Kirklands, Pacific Dental, Panera, Red Boy Pizza, Santa Rosa-based Sift Cupcake & Dessert Bar, Sleep Train, Sprint, Sport Clips, Style Bar, Subway, Ulta, Verizon and Yogurtland.
"Target is bringing approximately 200 new jobs to Petaluma at its 135,000-square-foot store with a one-stop shopping solution in a convenient design environment,"according to Target spokeswoman Anne Christensen. "This outlet will offer guests everyday essentials and exclusive brands they have come to expect from Target, in addition to an expanded collection of fresh produce, groceries, meats and bakery items along with a pharmacy and Starbucks.'
East Washington Place is one of 345 centers built across the nation by developer Regency Centers (regencycenters.com).
Regency managers assert that their new Petaluma project is one of the few opportunities in the coming decade for large retailers to locate in this trade area because of what are perceived as high barriers to entry -- including community opposition in the form of lawsuits to block big-box retail construction along with municipal building rules, policies and fees.City streamlines processes
"Some confuse the cause of initial delays as just a city-related issue when there are significant community concerns as well," said Ingrid Alverde, city economic development manager. "Over the past two years, Petaluma has focused on ways to enhance and clarify the building-application process."
The Development Review Committee was formed to bring together representatives of nine city departments that weigh in on building projects. This committee meets weekly to review applications submitted to the Planning Department, and applicants are invited to attend.
"Having representatives from current and long-range planning, fire, building, water, public works, economic development, code compliance and police all at the same table goes a long way toward surfacing issues at the beginning so there will be no surprises or misunderstandings later," Ms. Alverde said. "Sometimes, applicants discover that the costs associated with impact fees, for example, are too high and cancel their plans before going out to obtain loans or to make contractor and supplier commitments."
The city is working with an outside consultant to see how impact fees and policies, such as those associated with wastewater processing, can be modified or made less costly.
While applicants must adhere to all city requirements, simple projects can usually be reviewed quickly. Complex building projects take more time.
