San Gabriel city officials will participate in the grand opening of the San Gabriel Promenade and visit 168 Market, its newest anchor tenant on Saturday morning, June 23 at 10 a.m. The center is located at 927-965 E. Las Tunas Drive in the former redevelopment project area. Built in 1960 and known as the Lucky Center, the aging center has been transformed into a complete shopping experience with a sleek and modern design and a new name, San Gabriel Promenade. It’s spacious, full-service and state of the art supermarket is also opening after extensive improvements and system upgrades to the tenant space.
New building facades and signage are provided and new urbanism design features are emphasized to encourage walking and biking. These enhancements include gateways, attractive outdoor seating areas, and amenities. There are more parking spaces, improved traffic circulation, and greening through sustainable landscaping. “The rehabilitation project is one of the City’s first commercial development projects to be implemented since the start of the economic recession,” says Mayor Sawkins. “We are delighted with the new look that creates an inviting and vibrant environment to better serve customers in general and San Gabriel residents in particular.”
Mayor Kevin Sawkins and City Council members will mark the occasion with State Senator Carol Liu, Assembly Member Michael Eng, Johnson Chen, Vice President of 168 Market, and David Garcia of Sandstone Properties. Festivities will feature Latin Jazz and Salsa music by the Susie Hansen Band and a ceremonial Japanese drum corps. After a ribbon cutting, VIP guests and media representatives will take a food tour.
Despite its favorable lease terms, Albertsons unexpectedly closed in January 2011. In response, the former San Gabriel Redevelopment Agency approved an agreement with the property owner on March 8, 2011 including $400,000 in redevelopment funds to upgrade the shopping center. The loan requires that the market operator advertise in mainstream media outlets and carry a minimum of 25% mainstream products.
The Agency’s financial assistance leverages a combined private investment of over $2.6 million from the owner and market operator. This project is creating 90 new permanent jobs. Additionally, this project is spurring private investment on Las Tunas Drive. “This project is an excellent example of the types of revitalization projects undertaken by the San Gabriel Redevelopment Agency. Since the dissolution of redevelopment by the State last February, we will be pursuing alternative community development strategies to revitalize our business districts and promote economic growth,” says City Manager Steven A. Preston.
The shopping center showed visible signs of aging from deferred maintenance. The former Albertsons had not invested in tenant improvements and its facilities equipment, and furnishings were outdated and unattractive.
Tawa Supermarket Inc., the largest Asian supermarket chain in North America, owns the 168 market concept among others. Tawa customized the interior market design to complement the exterior improvements. The interior creates a cosmopolitan experience for the customer through colorful graphic banners and other design features. With Tawa’s reach and investment in the San Gabriel community, we expect quality products, jobs, and customer friendly service for our community.
The Grand Opening will be held Saturday, June 23 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The program begins at 10 a.m. at 168 Market, 933 E. Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel. Free parking is available.
For more information on the project, call Robin Scherr, Economic Development Manager, City of San Gabriel at 626-308-2806, x5123.
