Buoyed by the success of their recent revitalization of the Simi Valley Town Center, and encouraged by the area’s strong retail leasing market, real estate investment firm Milan Capital Management acquired the 283,000 square foot Simi Valley Marketplace. As the 40-year-old mall hadn’t seen a design refresh since the mid-80s, Milan partnered with Kamus + Keller to update the underperforming property in a “village contemporary” style to attract high-profile tenants and increase clientele foot traffic.

The project kicked-off with the major renovation of the mall’s main anchor tenant, Smart & Final. Expanding the big-box store was a complex multi-phase affair necessitating the relocation of a neighboring pet store, demolition of the adjacent vacant space, modifying the parking lot layout, and replacing a separate restaurant building with a smaller commercial building so as not to block the new frontage view. Additional improvements to the shopping center as a whole were also made, including façade renovation, lighting, landscaping and hardscaping, completed while all businesses remained operational, even through the bustling 2015 holiday season.

Final design touches are currently being made at the Marketplace, slated for completion in October 2016. Ownership has seen a steady increase in visitors, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The dramatic face-lift has transformed what was once an oversized strip mall into a destination of choice for the growing community.