The companies will remove the roof from the mall, raze many of the stores and create an outdoor setting, Steve Hopkins of Hopkins Real Estate Group tells GlobeSt.com.

Hopkins says the developers, who acquired the property from the Lusk Co. of Irvine, which developed it, are working closely with the city of Whittier in a public-private partnership to redevelop the property. Ann Ybarra, Whittier's director of community development, says the city will expedite the entitlement process and building permits.

The project likely will include housing along with the retail, according to Hopkins, who tells GlobeSt.com, "The city likes the idea of a mixed-use plan, and our partner, Lennar, is very experienced in that area." The type of housing, he says, will depend on the market and the final plan created by the developers and the city.The Whittwood Mall is at Whittier Boulevard and Santa Gertrudes Avenue and is anchored by Sears, J.C. Penney, Mervyn's and Vons.

The Hopkins group has developed shopping centers and mixed-use projects in a number of Southern California locations and currently has 11 California projects in development: five properties in Valencia, The Hub in San Bernardino, Vista del Mar Village in Richmond, Villages of Van Buren in Riverside, Citrus Village in Covina, The Marketplace At Main Street in Corona and Delano Marketplace in Delano. Lennar Partners is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly held LNR Property Corp. which is based in Miami.

No construction schedule has been set yet for the project. Hopkins has named Perkowitz & Ruth architects of Long Beach to design the new development and CB Richard Ellis as the retail leasing agent. The company expects to name a general contractor soon.