The Village at Orange
Orange, CA
2018
by TRC Retail
A long-running enclosed mall in transition —
a selective redevelopment strategy that protects healthy tenants while clearing the way for the property's next chapter.
The Problem :
The Village at Orange had been open since the early 1970s,
and as its retail relevance declined and a major anchor prepared to close,
most of the interior mall space no longer had a viable long-term use.
A declining mall, & major anchors on Their way out
Rather than treat the whole property as one problem,
a selective approach protected the tenants that were still healthy,
while clearing out the interior mall space that no longer had a viable use.
The
: Strategy
Protect what works, clear the way for what's next
Selective Demolition
The underperforming,
disconnected interior mall space
was demolished.
Rather than treating
the whole property as one problem,
an initial demolition phase to remove
the abandoned interior was completed
in 2023.
The Improvements:
What's been done so far,
in a redevelopment still underway
Exterior-facing tenants
that were still healthy and operating well were identified and protected, as well as incorporated into the site's next chapter, instead of displaced
by the new master plan.
Protected the Tenants Worth Keeping
A Master Plan Taking Shape
That selective approach
is now informing a broader master plan
for the property that includes
new housing, offices, hospitality, and public spaces as part of its future.
The Results:
A phased template for revitalizing Obsolete property
This redevelopment is still underway,
but the approach used to redevelop the Village at Orange has been crafted to create value at every step,
rather than wait for a final result that will take many years to manifest.
Keeping the tenants worth preserving has maintained cash flow throughout the transition,
instead of those occupants going dark and putting property cash flow to zero.
At the same time, clearing the underperforming interior mall space positions the property
to capture the upside of the real development potential still sitting on site —
a broader master plan, including new housing, is now taking shape.
Ultimately, it's a template for revitalizing an obsolete property in phases:
protect the income that's already there, clear what isn't working, and build toward what the site can actually become.
