Maplewood Plaza qualified for a Façade Improvement Program grant through the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, and in 2005 design was begun on a new more contemporary look. The building being over 900 feet in façade length meant that the budget had to be stretched out as well. Not being directly on the corner, the shopping center is partly visible from a busy intersection. The city zoning ordinance controlling allowable signage had changed substantially since the shopping center was originally built, so a new sign area would be required to meet current code.

EBA developed a new sign program for the shopping center to meet San Jose’s sign area calculation limits, and to prescribe for each tenant a specific sign height and area. Then the final design was begun for 34 tenant signs which would be need to be visible from the intersection, one of the most critical factors to the success of the program and the economic success of the center. The signage also needed to accommodate tenant turnover. The original corrugated plastic faced signage was removed and a new vertical fascia was created to accommodate new cabinet signs. The painted white rock was removed and replaced with smooth texture stucco. The blue concrete roof tile was replaced with painted standing seam metal roof.

The most vital results from this project were that the visibility for tenants was improved, the shopping center became more inviting for potential shoppers, the center became a more desirable business location, and the economic viability of the center was preserved.