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Planned southwest Valley mall a nod to nature

Lynh Bui

The Arizona Republic

Feb. 26, 2007 12:00 AM

Relaxed sophistication.

It's the line the developers behind Estrella Falls are using to describe the southwest Valley and what a proposed open-air regional mall in Goodyear will reflect.

Despite hot summer months in Arizona, the outdoors is what the market is calling for, said Garrett Newland, assistant vice president of development for Westcor.

In the West Valley, Estrella Falls, expected to break ground later this year, will be the first new outdoor mall in the company's portfolio. It will also be the southwest Valley's first regional mall.

"There's no roof on this one," Newland said. "If you look at national trends, there are few enclosed malls being built."

Newly unveiled design plans show the look is a nod to nature, with lush gardens, meandering walkways, a central plaza and public art. Not to mention shopping, dining and entertainment galore for a growing population hungry to spend, eat and play in the southwest Valley. Since 2000, more than 80,000 people have moved to the area that encompasses Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park and Tolleson.

Beyond meeting the needs of an underserved market, Phoenix-based Westcor hopes Estrella Falls will draw from beyond the region and set industry trends when it comes to newer malls, said John Tran, who is part of the project's design team.

"We want this project to be a benchmark for regional shopping centers," said Tran, an associate principal with Omniplan Architects. The company, with offices in Phoenix and Dallas, is working with Westcor on Estrella Falls.

"This will not just create a place for the city of Goodyear, but a destination experience beyond that," Tran said.

Taking up nearly a million square feet of space, the outdoor mall will be the hub of a 300-acre "lifestyle center" that will include offices, hotels, housing and a power center, the Market at Estrella Falls.

The result turns the traditional mall "inside out," said Ron Lorch, assistant vice president of design and planning for Westcor. A main design feature includes a 2,000-foot-long streetscape - about the size of seven football fields sitting end-to-end - that winds through the mall and tees to meet a large, landscaped pedestrian plaza.

At Estrella Falls, four-sided architecture and storefronts will take center stage along with the landscaping and open space.

"What we really wanted to do here is create something very special," Lorch said. "We took cues from nature."

Seventeen buildings will make up most of the regional mall, which sits on about 100 acres. Retailers will customize building storefronts to reflect their brand identity.

Tran said the goal is to create a vibrant destination.

"It's not about one kind of feel," he said. "It's about variety of space and experience. You don't want a bland, uniform box."

In the East Valley, Westcor also is building SanTan Village in Gilbert as an outdoor shopping center.

Westcor's Biltmore Fashion Park and Kierland Commons, both outdoor malls in Phoenix, see some of the highest retail sales per square foot among shopping centers in the state, according to company officials.

Westcor will present the mall's design theme to the Goodyear City Council today.

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