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March 2005
Growing Village
New retail centers going up near campus will expand entertainment
options for students, staff and faculty.
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Story and photos by Kevin McPhee ’07
A movie theatre, new eateries and more shopping soon will be within
walking distance of the College as retail projects move forward in
Claremont and Upland.
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This artist's conception provided
by Tolkin Group shows the
future Village expansion along Indian
Hill Boulevard, looking west on
First Street. |
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In Claremont, the city continues to expand the Village westward across
Indian Hill Boulevard between Bonita Avenue and the railroad tracks.
Until the expansion began, this area had changed little since the
mid-1970s, when its citrus-related businesses closed.
Indian Hill Boulevard will be lined with cafes and shops, becoming the
center of the expanded Village. A first phase of lofts and condominiums
north of the railroad tracks has already sold out, and construction of
more housing is planned this summer.
The 125,000-square-foot commercial expansion of the Village will begin
in June or July of 2005, with completion expected in summer 2006,
according to Scott Miller, Claremont’s economic development manager. The
project will be carried out through a public-private partnership between
the city and Tolkin Group, a Pasadena-based development company.
The Laemmle Theatres chain will operate a five-screen, 800-seat,
art-film theatre in the expanded Village. Currently, a Claremont
resident must travel at least as far as Pasadena, to another Laemmle
Theatre, in order to view the kind of art, foreign and independent films
that the chain cites as its hallmark. The theatre will be west of the
shops that will line Indian Hill, between First and 2nd streets. “The
general sophistication of the area,” as well as its “college centered
populations,” made the project too good to pass up, according to Jay
Reisbaum, director of development and operations for Laemmle Theatres.
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| A four-level
parking garage will be built in this area between the packing
house and Indian Hill. |
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Tracy Biga MacLean, academic director for Intercollegiate Media Studies,
is excited about the new theatre. "The Laemmle Theatres are very
responsive to their communities and tailor their offerings to the local
audience," she says.
Students are pleased as well. Pomona Abby Browning ’07 comments, “I’m
glad it’s going to be there before I graduate.” Alex Jakle ’06 laments
the timing, but also notes, “I have a lot of friends who are into film.
Getting a theatre around here will certainly be an upgrade.”
A boutique hotel will be located on the northeast corner of Oberlin
and First streets. Operated by the Four Sisters Inn chain, the
hotel will feature spa tubs, a pool, hors d’oeuvres service and
afternoon wine. Developers expect that the inn’s proximity to The
Claremont Colleges will bring business from alumni, guests of the
colleges and visiting students. Four Sisters Inn has locations in Napa,
Carmel, Dana Point and elsewhere.
BOOKSTORE ON THE WISH LIST
Attracting a bookstore remains a goal of the project, Miller says,
though brick-and-mortar bookstores are facing economic challenges from
online sellers. Other types of businesses sought include clothing
stores, specialty food retailers and entertainment-oriented restaurants.
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The lemon packing
house, built in 1922, will be renovated with shops and live/work
spaces. |
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The Village expansion will preserve a piece of the past. The
College
Heights Lemon Packing House, built in 1922, will be renovated by Arteco
Partners for shops, eateries, live/work lofts and arts and cultural
uses. The two-story, 78,000 square-foot project will feature a large
courtyard in the center. Arteco Partners is run by brothers Jerry
Tessier, a graduate of Claremont McKenna, and
Ed Tessier ’91, who helped
create the downtown Pomona Arts Colony.
The eastern and western wings of the historic packing house have been
demolished, leaving the original, central portion of the warehouse to be
renovated.
According to Project Manager Jerry Tessier, Arteco Partners is hoping to
include restaurants with an entertainment or an outdoor component, and
both a microbrewery and a jazz club are possible tenants. In addition,
there has been discussion that an art museum may occupy
space in the building. The packing house project, which should be
completed by summer 2006, will also include live/work lofts on the
second floor.
Robert Herman '51, a professor emeritus of sociology and former president of
Claremont Heritage, is pleased that a portion of the packing house will
be saved. “That’s a last vestige of an important part of Claremont’s
history,” he says.
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Loft-style homes
sold quickly
in the first phase of expansion. |
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To accommodate visitors shopping in the expanded Village, the city will build a
four-level, 477-space parking structure between the packing house and
Indian Hill Boulevard.
Claremont’s Village expansion began with the construction of more than
100 town homes and lofts west of Cornell Avenue north of the railroad
tracks. This high-density project sold out quickly, and construction of
the second phase, on the site of the former City Yard just north of the
first-phase homes, is set to begin this summer.
Herman believes projects such as this, clustering high-density housing
near rail stations, are important for relieving smog and gridlock in
Southern California. “Urban sprawl is a swear word in my lexicon,” he
says.
UPLAND PROJECT SEEKS COLLEGE CROWD
A separate retail and housing development is planned near the eastern
edge of the colleges, just over the Claremont city border in Upland.
Orange County-based Hutton Development Co. plans to start building a
44,000-square-foot retail center early this year at the southwest corner
of Monte Vista Avenue and Arrow Route. Like the Village expansion, the
College Park Retail Centre will be home to a number of shops and
sit-down restaurants. Unlike Claremont Village, however, the Upland
center is set to feature drive-thru restaurants as well.
Hutton Vice President Scott Felix said the Upland development is geared
toward The Claremont Colleges community, and its retail and restaurant
offerings will reflect this.
The retail center will be part of a larger, 40-acre development. Most of
the College Park project will consist of housing in the form of 50
single-family detached homes and 448 luxury apartment units.
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