Pasadena Retail, Entertainment Project Proposed
A partnership that includes Pacific Theatres and the Stats decoration and crafts supply chain unveiled plans to develop a $100-million retail and entertainment center in the thriving Old Pasadena district.
The low-rise, open-air project is planned for a 3.5-acre site at Green Street and Raymond Avenue currently occupied by Stats Floral Supply and Fishbecks Patio Center, two longtime Pasadena establishments. Both businesses would be moved to another site or included in the proposed complex, which would feature several large furniture and “lifestyle” retailers as well as an upscale, eight-screen cineplex operated by Pacific Theatres. Some housing would be built above the shops.
The project would add 300,000 square feet of commercial space and 1,600 movie seats to an area already jammed with hundreds of stores and several theater complexes clustered around Colorado Boulevard. A short walk away, developer TrizecHahn is transforming the Pasadena Plaza mall into a large mixed-use complex that would include a 14-screen movie house operated by Pacific Theatres.
Despite the abundance of shops and movie screens in the area, Neil Haltrecht, executive vice president of Los Angeles-based Pacific Theatres Realty, said the proposed project would distinguish itself with businesses that cater to older, more affluent customers. For example, ArcLight theaters, a new concept by Pacific Theatres, would feature reserved seating, a cafe and gourmet coffee and snacks, he said.
“It can help grow and strengthen the market,” Haltrecht said. “It just helps the overall area.”
The planned development, across from the historic Castle Green apartments and adjacent to a proposed Blue Line transit station, would also include underground parking and a cultural and live-entertainment venue. The project calls for retaining several historic buildings on the property, including the Fishbecks building, which served as the stables and carriage house for the Hotel Green that once occupied the site.
“Pasadena is our home, and we want to create something here that will stand the test of time and enhance the quality of life for residents,” said Dan Stathatos, who founded the Stats chain in 1961. The Stathatoses also own the adjacent Fishbecks outdoor furniture store, which, founded in 1899, is among Pasadena’s oldest businesses.
Haltrecht said construction on the project is scheduled to begin at the end of 2001 pending city review of the development.
