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Broadway Plaza Celebration

In April, Broadway Plaza celebrated the beginning of the next phase for the construction of the Neiman Marcus store. This special ceremony was a “thank you” to all of the supporters during last year’s Measure I campaign, in which the City of Walnut Creek said “Yes” to Neiman Marcus! The fence around the building has already gone up and the building will start to be demolished very soon. Once that is complete, Neiman Marcus will take over the site and construction will begin on the store, which is set to open in Spring 2012.

 

Taubman Pays West Hartford Mall Owner

WEST HARTFORD - Developers of Blue Back Square are being compensated $34 million after a settlement agreement was reached with Westfarms mall to pay out financial losses when litigation delayed construction of Blue Back Square by a year.

Westfarms Associates and Westfarms Mall, LLC and Taubman Centers Inc., which has a 79 percent stake in the company, is paying out the $34 million to be divided three ways amongst Raymond Road Associates, BBS Development LLC and Blue Back Square LLC. Taubman must pay the largest sum of the money, $26.8 million, because it holds a majority interest in the mall.

The original lawsuit, which sought $40 million, was settled out of court on the condition that the $34 million would be paid by Dec. 15. No responsibility or fault was claimed in the settlement with Taubman.

The town of West Hartford also filed a lawsuit against Taubman back in Nov. 2007 seeking over $4 million for delaying the completion of Blue Back Square by a year. The town council said the square should have been completed a year earlier - Nov. 2006 - but because pending litigation from Taubman interfered with the construction process, Blue Back opened in Nov. 2007.

 

Is Walnut Creek's Neiman Marcus battle really over?

By Elisabeth Nardi - Contra Costa Times

November 5, 2009

Measure I supporters, including Walnut Creek City Councilwoman Cindy Silva (front center).

Walnut Creek voters have rolled out the welcome mat for Neiman Marcus, ending a long, hard campaign to bring the upscale retailer to town.

With 71 percent of voters approving Measure I, a two-story, 92,000-square-foot anchor store can be built at the corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and South Main Street, the former site of the David M. Brian store. Broadway Plaza owner Macerich Co. has a long-term lease with Neiman Marcus for that space.

A majority was needed to win. Of the city's 41,000 eligible voters, 21,398 cast ballots, according to unofficial results.
Macerich spent nearly $1.4 million on the Yes on I campaign.

"We are overwhelmed at the amount of support we have seen and we are very appreciative of the effort. "... The community took ownership of this and it humbled us," said Macerich spokeswoman Patti Hazlett, at a campaign party Tuesday night at the former David M. Brian store. "People were so engaged, it's a real testament to the community here."

Though supporters say the overwhelming win sends a clear message that residents want a Neiman Marcus, it remains unclear whether that will be enough to stop the project's opponents.

On Wednesday morning, the organized group of residents who had opposed the expansion, citing parking and traffic concerns, put out a statement saying they respect the vote and would continue to watch developments in the city.

Later, they added to their statement by saying the fight might not be over.

"We continue to review all of our options at this point, legal and otherwise," read the statement signed by former Mayors Ed Dimmick and Ed Skoog, former Planning Commissioner Selma King and resident Ann Hinshaw.

Rival mall company Taubman Centers, which owns Sunvalley mall in Concord, spent $700,000 backing the residents opposed to the planning of the Neiman Marcus project. Some argued Taubman wanted Neiman for its own City Center project in San Ramon.

Al Abrams, hired political consultant for Taubman, said Wednesday he had not spoken to anyone with Taubman and was unsure if there would be any continued challenge. He credited the project's opponents with pressing to make the current store plan better than its earlier incarnations.

Dimmick said he thought the race would be much closer.

"We didn't just lose, we got trounced," said Dimmick, who said he was unsure what, if anything, the group may do next.
Mayor Gary Skrel said Tuesday's election indicates that residents agree with the direction the city is headed.

"I am very hopeful that this is over," he said. "I hope this conveys a message to the opposition, those citizens of Walnut Creek, that we respect their position "... but the residents and voters of Walnut Creek overwhelmingly support the project ... that is obvious."

As for Neiman Marcus, Broadway Plaza leaders say the store could open as soon as spring 2012.

 

Voters Say YES to Neiman Marcus and Walnut Creek!

In an unprecedented showing of community support, Walnut Creek voters resoundingly approved Measure I yesterday (Nov. 3), clearing the way for a small Neiman Marcus store to be built at Broadway Plaza. With virtually all ballots counted, nearly 72% of voters said YES on Measure I.

"We are proud to be part of a community that can come together this strongly on an issue like this," said Carole Wynstra and Emily Chang, co-chairs of Yes for Walnut Creek. "This vote sends a clear message that our community supports Broadway Plaza, Neiman Marcus, and the City's carefully planned vision for our downtown."

More than 200 community members invested thousands of hours in support of Yes on Measure I, walking neighborhoods, phoning voters, and getting out the vote.

Yesterday's election saw just under 21,500 voters cast ballots, a turnout of 51%, which is huge for an off-year special election. Two-thirds of the votes were cast by mail (absentee ballots), a growing trend in Walnut Creek.