Saratoga News

News

Major renovations are in the works for Westgate West shopping center

By Laura Rheinheimer

The Westgate West shopping center will be the site of major renovations. The project site plan was approved by Joseph Horwedel, acting director of the Planning, Building and Code Enforcement department in February to add 41,705 square feet of retail stores to the existing 19-acre commercial space.

Grosvenor, an international property development and investment company, bought the site in July, and decided to move forward with the previous owner's approved plans to renovate the center that currently houses 48 commercial tenants.

The plan includes property-wide aesthetic improvements, such as adding decorative façades and using stone veneer.

The shopping center is nestled in the corner of Lawrence Expressway and Prospect Road, and contains chain stores such as Orchard Supply Hardware, Ethan Allen, Trader Joe's and Midas.

The center also houses a dance studio, art and learning centers, banks, salons and other small, locally owned businesses, making it a destination for families and nearby residents from West San Jose, Saratoga and surrounding cities.

Grosvenor was approved for a plan to erect three new retail shops, which would connect Citi Bank with nearby buildings containing Memories Live On and more than a dozen other stores on one side and restaurants including Ravioli's Casual Gourmet on the other side. The plan also calls for demolishing part of the building that houses Ethan Allen and adding three restaurants and outdoor seating on the west side of the building.

But plans could change, said Richard Gallagher, property manager with CB Richard Ellis. The renovations were originally designed by the previous owner, West Valley Properties, but Grosvenor wanted to move forward with the project.

"We don't know exactly what's going to happen," Gallagher said, adding that there's no timeline yet for construction.

Conditions of the project also require road improvements on Graves Avenue, where residents have complained about commercial traffic.

At a June 28 community meeting with nearby residents and staff members from the office of District 1 Councilwoman Linda LeZotte, the previous owner agreed to cut off commercial access through Graves Avenue in response to complaints about traffic and noise. Under the approved plan, customers could still exit onto Graves Avenue.

The Graves Avenue exit-only easement for customers will be a welcome one in the area, especially for neighbors tired of delivery trucks using their dead-end street.

Graves Avenue resident Ning Yao said she can hear noisy trucks as early as 6 a.m.

"Before we moved here, we didn't expect so much noise," Yao said. "It's such a small street."

Orchard Supply Hardware, which uses Graves Avenue for trucks to access the loading docks, said the closure would harm its operations by limiting truck maneuverability. The hardware company appealed the permit, but later withdrew it based on an agreement with Grosvenor, according to Arnold Schuster, the legal adviser for OSH, but he couldn't provide more details.

Other conditions of the permit include hiding unsightly utilities with canopies, landscaping and walls. Grosvenor is "very sensitive to the fact that there's a nice residential area adjacent to the property," said Don Capobres, the development manager for the company's San Francisco office.

Gallagher said there are no immediate plans to make major changes in the center's tenancy, but The Huddle, a sports bar that was located near California Fencing Academy, has already been vacated.

Representatives from nearby businesses said The Huddle's closure was seen as a positive change.

Employees at Bikram Yoga, which is near the former bar, said smoke constantly trailed into the studio. Likewise, parents have complained about the smell of smoke in the fencing club, said Dan Tibbetts, the owner of California Fencing Academy. On at least one occasion, a woman was accosted by a drunk person, Tibbetts said.

Employees of nearby businesses said Sassy Sinsations, a lingerie store, has not been open the past few days. The store won't be asked to renew its lease when it's up next year, said Gallagher, which is also seen as an improvement by nearby business owners.

Capobres said the company eventually plans to find more upscale tenants for the Westgate West center, but is still in the first stages of planning.

Several anchor stores have long-term leases and won't be going anywhere, said Capobres, including Orchard Supply Hardware, Longs Drugs and Trader Joe's.

Dale Stewart, owner of Memories Live On, said he hasn't heard for sure if he can renew his lease, which is up in December, but he would like to. It's a nice location, Stewart said, and his business does well there. Memories Live On is a scrapbooking store.

Other business owners echoed this sentiment.

Even with higher rents that will result when the site is reassessed for property taxes, Tibbetts doesn't want to find another location.

"I would prefer to stay here because I put a lot of money into this place," Tibbetts said, but he doesn't know for certain if he can renew his lease, which is up in February. For that information, he's waiting on the owners.

Gallagher said he's in the process of working with the tenants, and doesn't anticipate many changes in occupancy.