Elk Grove Promenade: Eagle or Albatross?
Fate of Elk Grove’s future reputation could be defined by Promenade; Another Florin Mall in the making? In a few days, Elk Grove will ...
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2008/06/elk-grove-promenade-eagle-or-albatross.html

Fate of Elk Grove’s future reputation could be defined by Promenade; Another Florin Mall in the making?
In a few days, Elk Grove will be celebrating the eight anniversary of city hood. On July 1, 2000 Elk Grove became California’s first new city of the 21st century.
With it’s independence from the jurisdiction of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, hopes were high that the people living in Elk Grove would have more control of future growth.
In the city’s first few years, the growth that occurred was largely approved by the board of supervisors, much of jammed through in the last year the board of supervisors would have jurisdiction over the area.
One remnant project the board of supervisors punted to the fledgling city was the Lent Ranch Mall project. Controversial prior to city hood, the proposed mall became a lighting rod of sorts for the new city dating back to some of the earliest city council meetings.
Mall developer General Growth promised a high-end regional mall comparable to the Roseville Galleria. Names like Nordstrom, Macy’s and Dillard’s were dangled to entice the city council and residents to support the project.
Fast forward eight years and what do we have?
Instead of an enclosed mall we essentially have a giant strip-center with a driveway through the middle. And oh yes, it does have some exterior fireplaces!
Instead of having up to five major anchors, three of which would be ‘fashion’ and ‘at least 50’ minor specialty retailers, as discussed in 2001, we have a mall with just one committed ‘fashion’ anchor, Macy’s. Even lower end department stores JC Penney and Target, who were widely expected to co-anchor the mall, are not listed on the web page for The Promenade.
Instead of opening on schedule, the center has already been delayed twice. Speculation is that General Growth is having problems finding anchors and specialty tenants.
They wouldn’t be alone. According to some reports, malls around the country are suffering from high vacancy rates and retail property in general is suffering.
So just what impact will a less than complete mall have on Elk Grove’s image? Will we have just built another Florin Mall that will become an eye sore, crime magnet and drain on the community within a dozen or so years?
Will The Elk Grove Promenade defy its already problematic history and soar like an Eagle and exceed expectations? Or will it become an albatross around the neck of Elk Grove?
If it does become an albatross, council members Jim Cooper, Mike Leary and Sophia Scherman and former planning commissioner and current council member Patrick Hume surely need to have it hung around their necks.
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