Sprouting Off!

Regency Centers, owners of the Granada Village Shopping Center on the NW corner of Zelzah and Chatsworth, has finally found a new tenant for the long-vacant former Ralphs/former Brusnwick Lanes/almost Kohl's space at the center's east end: Sprouts Farmer's Market.

The chain, which has been described as "the bastard child of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods," touts on their web page their commitment to sourcing produce from local farmers.

More full service than T.J.'s but less highfalutin' than Whole Wallet Foods? Sounds like they're trying to fill the hole in my staunchly middlebrow heart. And I'm certainly glad to be moving past that silly era during which we had a Ralph's right across the street from the Ralph's. Now if only they could squeeze the bowling alley back in, I'd really be happy.

Regency Centers is inviting the community to an Open House on Thursday, September 16th from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm where they will introduce the new tenant and explain their much-anticipated plans for revitalizing the moribund shopping center at the heart of our town, which includes relocating the Rite-Aid. The whole shebang should be complete about a year from now.



Granada Village Shopping Center, 10819 Zelzah Avenue, Granada Hills CA 91344.

Comments

  1. Definitely miss the bowling center. Had my highest series of my career there, right before the earthquake, and never was able to go back and try to beat it.

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  2. So is the store is opening this week or in a year ?

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  3. We can't make it tonight due to previous committments so I hope you'll do a followup on what is discussed and the plan specifics. We are also curious as to where the Rite-Aid is to be relocated... In with Sprouts perhaps?

    Tom and Linda

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  4. ok sounds better than another empty store. I was hoping TJ's would relocate their from Balboa location, but I will give this a try. Wish they would put in a restaurant
    like an Olive Garden or less fattening version of a Baja Fresh!

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  5. Agree, need a "chain" restaurant in there. Would attract so much needed business. The idiots who squashed the Kohls idea really screwed up.

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  6. Thank god, that shopping center looks beat. I hope they bring in a bunch of new businesses.

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  7. Absolutely need something in that waste of space. Ridiculous: The Kohls could have generated numerous jobs and revenue for the surrounding businesses, especially if they had a "chain" restaurant where Bakers Square was i.e. Olive Garden, Baja Fresh, Rubios, Applebees, etc.

    Unfortunately, sometimes people (and groups such as our neighborhood councils) fail to grasp the bigger and longer-term picture...

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  8. The corporate chains have their place, and I've certainly patronized them, but I think the most maximally awesome possibility of my dreams is that a Granada Hills local uses the space to do something unique and original. The guy in charge of the Great Balls On Tires food truck grew up in GH and went to Kennedy, and his food is incredible. Maybe we can convince him to take over the vacant restaurant!

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  9. I've had good and decent food at chain restaurants, but I've NEVER had food at a chain restaurant that blew my mind. Why should I always have to leave GH to get my mind blown? Of course mind-blowing is probably not the most likely scenario for the former DuPars/Bakers Square space, but a girl can dream....

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  10. I'd be happy with a Noah's Bagels

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  11. Kohl's went into the vacant Mervyn's south of the Northridge Mall, which is - wait for it - a regional shopping area with space amd parking for multiple department stores.

    Sprout's is going into Granada Village, which is - wait for it - a neighborhood shopping center with space and parking for multiple supermarkets.

    Amazingly enough, people who live in Granada Hills and Northridge had a better idea of what made sense for the loca market than the prior regime at Regency (much less CD 12, i.e let's build a Home Depot across the street from the Fashion Center - that was brilliant.)

    All kidding aside, as the result of (in part) the "idiots who squashed the Kohl's" efforts, Granada Hills and Northridge will have BOTH a nice high end supermarket AND a Kohl's, and in the right spots.

    Looks like the NIMBY's were right, and the market agrees - yet again.

    Shocking.

    Brad Smith

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  12. Sorry, Brad, but I have to respectfully and completely disagree. One look at the rundown disaster that Granada Village has become, coupled with one out of every three stores on Chatsworth in Granada Hills now being vacant, shows the folly of what ocurred. With the expansion of the local Target and Walmart supermarkets, there is definitely an opening for something like a Von's Pavilion... But a Sprout's? I don't think so.

    Robert

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  13. Really, the only positive comment that can be made about Sprouts coming to Granada Village is that SOMETHING needed to go in there and Sprouts is better than nothing. Certainly not the best choice, but perhaps the only choice available at this time...

    Oh, and Brad: Stop showing us just how arrogant and condescending you can be...

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  14. I dunno, I think Sprouts is a pretty good choice, since it's something we don't already have nearby. I like having more options and new choices.

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  15. Robert -

    Actually, I think it has a lot more to do with the respective RE management companies than anything else; Granada Village South is full, other than the perenially empty mid-sized space that ends up being the halloween store every year, so apparently it was not NIMBYISM - which, after all, is the reason we don't have a Home Depot there, as Hal Bernson had proposed...

    The one perenially vacant space there that doesn't fit well with the market is the small one right in the middle on the south building; after the suit store went under, I don't think they've been able to get anything in there. The rest of the tenants all look pretty sucessful.

    Granada Village North has been a different story for a long time; part of that has to do with, I believe, the rents that Regency has asked for - I know at least one of the long term tenants there faced a very large increase, for no apparent reason.

    Regency wanted to develop a "soft goods" center there with Kohl's, Steinmart, and TJ Maxx, and tried what they could to make it so - the fact that the exact same sort of mix is available at the Northridge mall/Tampa/Corbin centers would seem to call that strategy into question. Especially given that it does not appear Kohl's was ever really in favor of it...

    The fact that Kohl's went where Mervyn's was south of the Northridge mall makes it pretty clear that is the sort of location they wanted, not a converted grocery store.

    As far as the stores on Chatsworth, the development of Granada Village South has more to do with that, I think - parking on Chatsworh, front or back of the buildings, has always been slender, and (as an example) when OSH came in, GH Hardware was pretty much going to loose out. The same as the Petsmart store at GV South has made it tough for the people who tried to open pet stores.

    Oddly enough, Chatsworth seems to be very attractive to bakeries; parking availability and rent is apparently a sweet spot, for some reason.

    And for "anonymous," as far as arrogant and condescending goes, sorry you feel that way - it was not intended as such. Please send me a note and we'll talk face to face, any time that works for you.

    Best,

    Brad Smith

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  16. Hey you guys--
    If you don't want Sprouts in GH, we'll take it here on Ventura Blvd. and Lindley where Michaels used to be. We LOVE TO EAT HEALTHY HERE IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE SFVALLEY!
    WELCOME SPROUTS TO BEAUTIFUL ENCINO!

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    Replies
    1. YES!...nothing's been back since Stage est and the Jungle Room on Chats and Balboa closed years ago...

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  17. Dang, you Encino bizznatches up in her again tryin' to grab up all the good stuff... leave something for us!

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  18. We need a store that teens and young adults will hang out since its near a HS like a Dave n busters or a store similar to best buy and target also another movie there and another restaurant besides pick up stick. Also bars n clubs would be kewl

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  19. All my friends love Sprouts..Organic food...better than Markets that hide GMOs in their Kellogs boxes!

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  20. I like Spouts which went up quick and clean..but the rest of this project is taking forever....and there are hazardous areas as well as sloppy clean up and planning. Note to Florida based developers Urban One an Regency...FINISH THE JOB ALREADY before you put what tenants are left in this center out of business. The store front facades were torn off and then left to sit while work began on the parking lot. Huge puddle of water were left to turn brown and fetid and not cleaned for weeks on end..hmmm. Dangerous blind spots were created for shoppers exiting TJ Maxx...lucky no one was killed by passing cars in the lot. Regency and Urban One need to FINISH this project and add to the revitalization of Granada Hills...not kill it off with a languishing project that just looks more like "Urban Blight" than "Urban One"

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