Renovators Hope for Brighter Days Ahead

The owners of what used to be called the West Covina Fashion Plaza have literally raised the roof in an attempt to lure back their share of mall dollars.

An estimated $17-million renovation, finished in August, has included elevating the second-story ceiling and installing an imposing, peaked-roof glass atrium for the central entrance.

Before the renovation, sales at the 15-year-old mall had been leveling off, said Chet Yoshizaki, West Covina Redevelopment Agency manager. From 1987 to 1988, city sales taxes from the mall dropped about 5%.

Customers such as Annie Medina, who works nearby, found the mall increasingly unappealing. “The mall was becoming run down, dingy, dark” and unsafe, she said.

Much of the gloom was built-in: the original mall had a low second-floor ceiling, darker color scheme and fewer skylights, said Gary Morgan, manager of Hatfield Jewelers.

Now, more skylights allow sunlight to pour in, and the colors are whites and light pastels. And the parking garage, which also was dimmer, now lights up the night sky like a carnival ride.

Crime never was a particular problem, West Covina Police Sgt. Lori Smith said; if the mall seems safer now, the impression is mainly psychological.

But image does matter, Morgan said. And at least for the Christmas season, there appear to be more patrons, particularly on the second floor, which now contains a food court for the first time.

That’s where Pat Sellers, 37, was deciding among more than a dozen standard ethnic and fast-food offerings. She likes The Plaza because “it’s not as overwhelming as some of the bigger malls.”

The two-story, 150-store mall has The Broadway at one end and Bullock’s on the other. Poking out from the center is a JC Penney on one side and the food court on the other. The mall will get a new anchor, May Co., plus an additional 100,000 square feet of new retail space by about fall, 1992.

The Plaza contributes 13.7% of West Covina’s sales tax, more than any other single source. That’s why the city’s Redevelopment Agency sold $45-million worth of bonds in 1989 to help pay for the renovation and expansion.

THE PLAZA AT WEST COVINA * Year opened: 1975

* Retail square footage: 1.03 million

* Anchor stores: JC Penney, The Broadway, Bullock’s

* Number of stores: 150

* Estimated 1989-90 sales tax paid to city: $1.2 million

* % of city’s sales tax revenue--13.7%

* Memorable feature: High visibility from the freeway with peaked, glass entrance and the Tower Records store.