UC Davis Research Reports Title Failing Malls: Optimizing Opportunities for Housing Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4jd481mt Author Blanco, Hilda Publication Date 2021-06-01 DOI 10.7922/G2WM1BQH Data Availability The data associated with this publication are within the manuscript. eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Failing Malls: Optimizing Opportunities for Housing A Research Report from the National Center June 2021 for Sustainable Transportation Hilda Blanco, University of Southern California TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. NCST-USC-RR-21-09 N/A N/A 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Failing Malls: Optimizing Opportunities for Housing June 2021 6. Performing Organization Code N/A 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Hilda J. Blanco, Ph.D., http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7454-9096 N/A 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. University of Southern California N/A METRANS Transportation Consortium 11. Contract or Grant No. University Park Campus, VKC 367 MC:0626 Caltrans 65A0686 Task Order 021 Los Angeles, California 90089-0626 USDOT Grant 69A3551747114 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered U.S. Department of Transportation Final Report (November 2019 – March Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology 2021) 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590 14. Sponsoring Agency Code USDOT OST-R California Department of Transportation Division of Research, Innovation and System Information, MS-83 1727 30th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816 15. Supplementary Notes DOI: https://doi.org/10.7922/G2WM1BQH 16. Abstract California, like most of the country, was facing a transformation in retail before the COVID-19 epidemic. Increasing Internet shopping have ushered the closing of anchor stores, such as Macy's, Sears, as well as the closure of many regional shopping malls, which have sizable footprints, ranging from 40-100+ acres. The epidemic has accelerated these trends. This offers opportunities for the redevelopment of failing malls to address pressing needs in California, the need for housing, , and for efficient transit provision for such redevelopments. This research is focused on how mall conversions can be planned and implemented in a sustainable way. The research uses a national commercial database, and available literature, to first identify a set of distressed shopping malls (10) in the four largest metropolitan areas in the state as potential sites for redevelopment, some with current plans for redevelopment and others without such plans. It then develops profiles of the 10 malls that include: size, land uses permitted, history; relevant characteristics of the city (e.g., percentage of owner-occupied housing; median income, affordable housing needs), as well as brief descriptions of the mall owner, transit access, and environmental vulnerabilities. From a review of the relevant literature on sustainable redevelopment, and taking into account the California context, the project developed sustainability criteria for assessing shopping mall redevelopment plans in the state, and applied the criteria to four cases with active redevelopment plans. A major finding is the potential that mall redevelopment plans have to meet the major social sustainability criterion—the construction of affordable housing. Comparing the affordable housing target for the city to the number of housing units planned, the study estimates the percentage of the city’s affordable housing target the city can reach with different mixes of affordable vs. market-rate housing units in the project. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Shopping mall redevelopment, mixed-use housing centers, transit- No restrictions. oriented development, sustainable redevelopment, affordable housing 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 105 N/A Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized About the National Center for Sustainable Transportation The National Center for Sustainable Transportation is a consortium of leading universities committed to advancing an environmentally sustainable transportation system through cutting- edge research, direct policy engagement, and education of our future leaders. Consortium members include: University of California, Davis; University of California, Riverside; University of Southern California; California State University, Long Beach; Georgia Institute of Technology; and University of Vermont. More information can be found at: ncst.ucdavis.edu. Disclaimer The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the information presented herein. This document is disseminated in the interest of information exchange. The report is funded, partially or entirely, by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers Program and, partially or entirely, by a grant from the State of California. However, the U.S. Government and the State of California assume no liability for the contents or use thereof. Nor does the content necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the U.S. Government or the State of California. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. This report does not constitute an endorsement by the California Department of Transportation of any product described herein. Acknowledgments This study was funded, partially or entirely, by a grant from the National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST), supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) through the University Transportation Centers program. The author would like to thank the NCST, the USDOT, and Caltrans for their support of university-based research in transportation, and especially for the funding provided in support of this project. In addition, the author would like to thank her research assistants at USC-Price School for Public Policy: Buddy Burch, Des Alexander, and Shiqi Tang who gathered much of the information for this study. Special thanks to Stuart Mori at Caltrans for his interest and support of the work, as well as to the Advisory Board he assembled, Amy Anderson, Chief Housing Officer for Mayor Eric Garcetti, City of Los Angeles, Meghan Huber, Economic Development and Communications Manager, City of Citrus Heights, and Jennifer Hargrove, Senior Planner, Sacramento Area Council of Governments. Thanks also to Caltrans District 4, 6, 7 and 11 for their help in identifying distressed malls in their districts. Failing Malls: Optimizing Opportunities for Housing A National Center for Sustainable Transportation Research Report June 2021 Hilda Blanco, Ph.D., METRANS Transportation Consortium, University of Southern California [page intentionally left blank] TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. viii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 2. Identifying Distressed Malls in California's Four Largest Metro Areas ................................... 2 Identifying Distressed Malls ........................................................................................................ 3 Redevelopment Scenarios .......................................................................................................... 5 3. Case Study in the Los Angeles Metro Region: MainPlace Mall .............................................. 6 MainPlace Mall (Santa Ana) – Current/recent case, owner-initiated redevelopment .............. 6 Property Owner .......................................................................................................................... 8 Selected Demographics for Santa Ana, California ...................................................................... 8 Housing Needs in Santa Ana ....................................................................................................... 9 Potential Redevelopment Options for the Site .......................................................................... 9 Transportation Information ...................................................................................................... 10 Environmental Profile through CalEnviroScreen ...................................................................... 10 4. Case Study in the Los Angeles Metro Region: The Village of Laguna Hills ........................... 12 Village of Laguna Hills – Owner-Initiated Redevelopment ....................................................... 12 Property Owner Information .................................................................................................... 14 Selected Demographics for Laguna Hills................................................................................... 14 Housing Needs in Laguna Hills .................................................................................................. 15 Potential Redevelopment Options for the Site ........................................................................ 15 Transportation Information ...................................................................................................... 15 Environmental