Simi Center Signs 18 New Tenants

SIMI VALLEY, CA-Simi Valley Town Center has signed 18 new retailers to the 600,000-sf shopping venue that is due to open in October, increasing the total of tenants committed to space at the center to approximately 70. The newly signed tenants include Chico's, Eddie Bauer and White House/Black Market as well as some that are first in Ventura County, like Aldo Shoes and Francesca's Collections.The new retailers will help to create what Greg Lenners, general manager for Simi Valley Town Center, calls an "eclectic mix of upscale national brands, specialty stores, and casual eateries" at the open-air lifestyle district. Among those newly signed are sit-down restaurant Dakota's Steakhouse, Apple Cottage, Athena & Co., Aveda, Gold N' Heart Jewelers, J. Jill, J. Stephens, Paint a Dream, Panda Express, Pink Heart Accessories, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Simi Luggage and Zumiez.The new center is being developed by Forest City West, the Los Angeles-based real estate development arm of Cleveland's Forest City Enterprises, along with Simi Valley Town Center LLC, which is composed of The Corti Gilchrist Partnership LLC, and The Finley Group LLC of San Diego. It is the first new regional shopping complex to be developed in Ventura County in more than 25 years and will serve a trade area where demographics have changed significantly over the past decade. The center is being built along Highway 118 between First Street and Erringer Road and will be anchored by Macy's and Robinsons-May. Along with the shopping center, the Simi Valley site will be home to one of the area's newest and largest apartment developments, a 500-unit complex to be built by the San Diego office of Irving, TX-based JPI, a specialist in luxury apartments. The new JPI complex will be called Jefferson at Simi Valley and will be developed at a site north of Jefferson Way, overlooking Simi Valley Town Center. JPI began work this summer on the project, which will be within walking distance of the adjacent entertainment, shopping and dining at Simi Valley Town Center.