Commission Backs Plan for Renovation of Mall

The Planning Commission has recommended that the Rolling Hills Estates City Council approve a plan to close a portion of a street that runs behind the Shops at Palos Verdes so a developer can turn the roadway into a pedestrian promenade.

Cousins Properties Inc., an Atlanta-based real estate development company, announced last month that it planned to purchase the struggling mall and transform the enclosed retail center into an open-air shopping district with an adjacent pedestrian mall. Cousins officials said the purchase of the peninsula’s only shopping center hinged on approval from the city to close a portion of Deep Valley Drive to create a retail walkway.

The City Council will hold a public hearing tonight at 8 in City Hall to discuss the proposed plan. The City Council is scheduled to make a final decision on the proposed development Jan. 27.

“Obviously, nobody ever knows exactly where things are going to go,” said City Manager Doug Prichard. “But the Planning Commission’s recommendation is a good indication of where the council will probably go. The mall would be a real boost to the local economy if what Cousins proposes to do actually comes to be.”