Steve Wakeman, AIA, CSHQA Sacramento Regional Manager, and I attended the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) Monterey conference March 9 and 10. Two excellent sessions were presented. These are my notes from Session I and as accurate as speed note taking can make them. My apologies for any errors or omissions. – KK
Food Movement
Farm to table with fresh, quality ingredients does not have to be expensive; clean, safe food is everyone’s right.
Pure food. Organic can actually be less expensive to produce. Local is less to ship. New thinking in how food is bought, stored (or not), prepared and sold can vastly reduce waste and lower costs. More plant based foods are healthier and less costly.
Tony Gulisano, owner of Chow restaurants in San Francisco and the East Bay, has combined a farm to store to café experience that wastes very little food. The market atmosphere is slower and service based, the café is intentionally crowded and rapid. The purposefully created tension and chaos in the entry space makes people think something is happening. There is a dynamic interchange between community and commerce. “An antidote to social media,’ says Tony.
Chow locations are obviously urban and walkable, and help drive nearby retail. They are small and nimble, and about the size of the most recent designs for a BP Convenience Store! www.chowfoodbar.com
Historic Repurpose in Monterey Old Town
A 100+ year old mission style adobe building and out buildings are being renovated and repurposed in central Monterey. Owned by an historic trust the antique buildings have been local icons for generations. Today the buildings are nearly all red-tagged, in part from the 1989 Loma Prieta and other earthquakes. Palo Alto developer Lin Miller of Foothill Partners is leading a team to restore the 1.5 acre botanical park, general store (adobe), bakery and barns to create a community gathering space and event center. The broad collaboration of trust, community and private investment is notable. www.foothillpartners.com
Reinvigorating a Community Village
Basil Christopoulos, C&H Company, says he and his wife wanted better restaurant choices and shopping in their village. (Within Walnut Creek, I believe). It had to be walkable and push the parking outside with simple transit available. Instead of first floor with sidewalk dining, the prime restaurant is on the second floor with a stunning exterior stairway that says ‘walk up here!’ and patio dining that overlooks the action in the plaza. The sense of place and people watching will be strong enticements.
A Thirty Year Dream Comes to Fruition
Jack Mansour’s father was a visionary. He bought land for a lifestyle center in Eldorado Hills in the 1980s. The community wasn’t yet ready for it. Today the lifestyle center is designed to look ‘old’, like it has always been there. It offers food, retail, sports, and over 100 planned events per year. It is a community destination for all ages. The many restaurants were carefully selected to draw all types of diners. Food drives the retail. Environmental design is apparent block by block as the buildings represent all styles and eras of architecture. Every building has a story. www.eldoradohillstowncenter.com
Moderator Ken Lowney is CEO of Lowney Architecture in Oakland, California. His firm is the architect for Chow restaurants and the Walnut Creek project.
Look for Session II shortly!