Foothill Boulevard strip mall to receive update
An outdated shopping center across the street from Ralphs on Foothill Boulevard is set to receive a makeover that will help the shops in the strip mall appear to be separate buildings.
In a rendering of the design by Pasadena firm McKently Malar Architects, shops in the center, which include Round Table Pizza, Subway and La Cañada Pool and Patio, have completely new exteriors highlighted by different earth-toned paint colors and burgundy awnings. A monument sign will also be placed at the entrance of the shopping center, on Foothill at Gould Avenue.
The current design of the strip mall, which is owned by Spectrum Properties, is very simple: The shops are painted either white or tan and have no adornments.
The city’s Design Commission approved the renovation on a 4-0 vote last week, with Commissioner Ted Vavoulis absent from the meeting. The commission will review landscaping and other elements of the project at a later date.
“It’s a very tasteful upgrade to this shopping center, which has been neglected for a long time,” said Commissioner Keith Tobias. “That will be a big improvement for Foothill Boulevard.”
The overall design is intended to break up the strip into four sections, said architect Ken McKently. “We’re making it feel like four buildings rather than one long strip,” he explained.
All-new signage is expected for the shopping center, McKently added.
The existing vendor signs at the shopping center are of different shapes, sizes and colors that don’t blend well together, Tobias said.
The shopping center renovation has been a long time coming for tenants like Joseph Khoshkbaryeh, owner of Round Table Pizza.
He said the shopping center is the ugliest in the city and welcomes a face lift for his store.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “I’m all for it.”
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