Victoria Gardens, Rancho Cucamonga, California
Victoria Gardens will break ground on a full streetscape renovation encompassing 1.19 acres of the center along its Monet Avenue, according to Melina Ferraez, director of marketing for Victoria Gardens.
The renovation will include the refurbishment of exterior building facades, the widening of sidewalk areas to accommodate new outdoor patio dining, the introduction of parklets, as well as a newly designed plaza area, which will include a street art program. In addition, the redevelopment will introduce modern landscaping, linear concrete pavers, updated lighting and new streetscape furniture.
“As the leading shopping destination in the Inland Empire, with more than 170 retailers, it has always been Victoria Gardens’ mission to keep our shopping center as modern and fresh as possible for our guests,” explained Ferraez. “This means that, in addition to housing the latest fashion retailers and restaurants, we also maintain a modern physical design for our center.”
According to Ferraez, the overall design of the redevelopment will focus on five key elements, including:
• Sustainability: The center will install LED lighting and drought-resistant landscaping, and will extend the area’s sidewalks using porous pavers.
• Street-scene dining: The Monet Avenue redevelopment will result in a vibrant street scene that features patio dining areas that open up to main pedestrian walkways.
• Connectivity: Monet Avenue will offer several hot spots with free Wi-Fi, and the center is installing several charging stations where shoppers can plug in phones and tablets.
• Parklets: The introduction of parklets will offer shoppers a place to stop, chat, and recharge both their phones and themselves while deciding which store to visit next.
• New retailers: Victoria Gardens will focus on bringing in several new fast-casual dining restaurants and cafes, which will be incorporated into the active outdoor patio areas. In addition, the center will focus on adding new contemporary fashion retailers that will complement its current fashion and beauty offerings.
“By incorporating these five elements, we will continue to position Victoria Gardens as the leading center in the area,” Ferraez said. “Through the application of a new tenant design criteria, and by implementing these edgier, pedestrian-oriented design interventions, Monet Avenue’s renovation will be more than just a retail renovation project. It will spark an organic and modern evolution of the center.”
According to Ferraez, this renovation project will serve as the prototype for the rest of the center as it grows and matures.
She explained: “Design interventions are targeted to build upon existing strengths and appeal to new markets, such as our growing Millennial shopper demographic. The addition of fresh colors and forms to the existing historic framework of Victoria Gardens, as well as the introduction of modern design elements, will transform Monet Avenue from a Main Street into a ‘Great Street,’ as a modern, entertainment-focused lifestyle district that is activated both day and night.”
The redevelopment will begin in April 2015, with an estimated completion date of November 2015.
Victoria Gardens is co-owned by Forest City Enterprises and QIC and is managed by Forest City Enterprises. It is a 1.5 million-sq.-ft. open-air, regional town center located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, at the intersection of I-15 and Foothill Boulevard. It is anchored by Macy’s, J.C. Penney, AMC Theatres 12, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World and the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, and features more than 170 premier shops and restaurants. In addition, the center features the unique Rancho Victoria Food Hall, as well as 40,000 sq. ft. of Class-A office space.