MISSION VIEJO : Commissioners OK Plans for REI Store

The Planning Commission this week approved a 35,000-square-foot retail store at the Freeway Center shopping mall.

By a 4-0 vote, commissioners granted a request from the Mission Viejo Co. to cancel plans for a restaurant in the mall and add the square footage to another commercial space to make way for a larger retail store.

REI Inc., a chain of stores selling rock-climbing equipment and other outdoors goods, will be moving into the new building.

Commissioners were so enthused about having REI in the city that they asked company representatives if they wanted more sign space.

“We are usually stingy about handing out sign space,” Commissioner Sunnie Castner said. “But we thought people driving south (on El Paseo) needed the sign to recognize the building.”

The company said it hopes to have the store open by June.

The only objection to the sporting goods store came from the city of Laguna Hills, which asked for shorter store hours.

The commission declined the request. “The current hours set in the list of conditions (for the proposed REI store) are fine,” Castner said.

In addition to selling goods for mountaineers, REI will also build a climbing wall where customers can try out their equipment.