For years, ELS has been working with Brookfield Properties Retail to guide the redevelopment of the site, starting with two former anchor buildings, Macy’s (at 267,000 sf) and Nordstrom (at 150,000 sf). This repositioning is part of Stonestown’s shift from a conventional retail center into a flourishing district for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Our initial work for the Macy’s site reconfigured the complex into a new mix of tenants including a 12-screen Regal Cinemas as well as Whole Foods, Gameworks, and Sports Basement. The Nordstrom anchor now houses multiple large tenants, including an expanded Target store on the anchor building’s second floor.

Since then, we’ve repositioned the mall for smaller retailers focused on food and beverage, with options drawn especially from Pacific Rim cultures. Once this work is completed, the renovated Stonestown Galleria will be home to over 100 vendors, with more than 800,000 sf of leasable space. The transformation helps engage the diverse nearby population, in particular San Francisco State University students, for whom the neighboring mall is effectively a downtown-style destination in an otherwise largely residential district. The design has made a point to avoid demolition wherever possible by repurposing much of the existing structure.

This work fits into a larger master plan, by SITELAB Urban Studio with ELS, that will add 3,500 residential units as well as a new outdoor retail street and a series of plazas and gathering spaces.