Face Lift Approved for Anaheim Plaza Includes Entrance Facades, Lights

The 33-year-old Anaheim Plaza mall has received official approval for the first phase of what could become a 3-year renovation.

The mall’s owner, the California State Teachers Retirement System, has approved a face lift that will start in the spring, the mall’s manager said Monday.

Under the first phase, Anaheim Plaza will get new entrance facades and awnings, brighter lighting and new windows and flooring and outdoor seating.

The cost was estimated at “several million” dollars by a spokesman for the Lehndorff Group, the Dallas-based commercial developer that manages the mall and advises the pension fund. Those plans could be just the beginning. Future redevelopment could include building two more department stores, a second retail level and a possible hotel, plus amenities to support the center, said Kenneth Cooley, senior vice president of shopping centers for Lehndorff.

Anaheim Plaza is anchored by the Broadway and Mervyn’s department stores and includes 75 shops.

According to Cooley, the first phase of the remodeling is intended to bring shoppers back to the mall and build up merchants’ sales.

Anaheim Plaza was last updated in the early 1970s.