Abella Center
37°57′57″N122°20′35″W/ 37.96583°N 122.34306°W Abella CenterformerlyInternational Marketplaceand originallyEl Portal Shopping Centeris a mixed-use city services, business, shopping center and housing villagetransit-oriented developmentthat was formerly a mall inSan Pablo, California.[1][2]
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]The mall opened in the 1960s anchored originally by Simon's Department store which later became aMervyn'sdepartment store,HomeBasehome improvement store andSafewaysupermarket. The mall declined with the exit of Safeway in the 1990s, relocation of Mervyn's to the newPinole Vista Shopping Centerand the bankruptcy of and closure of Home Base stores. The mall began to decline due to its relative distance from the freeway entrances and exits along Interstate 80 even though the highway passes very close by. This decline was also compromised by the rise of the giantHilltop Mall Shopping Centerin nearbyRichmond.
Redevelopment
[edit]In the early 2000s the city began a redevelopment plan to revitalize the shopping center with a consulting firm specialized in reviving dead shopping malls. The commercial center was rebranded International Marketplace and touted as an ethnic niche destination shopping area. The former Safeway was remodeled and reopened as anAsian Supermarket.The ex Home Base location was edited into a two-story shopping bazaar with small shop locations. The department store spot and portions of the eastern edge of the mall were demolished and combined with the new business zone as a mixed-use urban village with apartments, condominiums, and attached single-family homes called Abella. A gateway was built overSan Pablo Avenuewith the name of the center.
The city also added its city hall to the center and attracted theContra Costa Countysocial services department and library locations to the marketplace.[3]The project was criticized for not displaying "San Pablo" on the archway over the avenue. The city of San Pablo began hosting public events here such as halloween events.[4]
Re-creation
[edit]By the late 2000s the city became frustrated with high vacancies and the inability of the consulting firm to attract a multiplex movie theater as promised and henceforth fired the firm. The San Pablo City Council approved a new plan demolishing more of the shopping center, adding a strip of restaurant and commuter services along San Pablo Avenue and more housing better connected with the rest of the development. At this point the city changed the signage on the gateway to state "Welcome to San Pablo" and renamed the mall to Abella Shopping Center.
Neighborhood
[edit]Abella is located adjacent toContra Costa Collegeand its transit center and has feeder, commuter, student, and late night service fromAC Transitbus lines 71, 72, 72R, 74, 76, 376, 607, 609, 669, 673, 674, 676, 677, and 679 these lines connect the center with the surrounding areas includingRichmondandEl Cerrito del NorteBART stations.There is aBRT stationat San Pablo Avenue and the Abella Center.[5]There is also the addition ofWestCatservices on line C3.[6]The city has rebranded the area as the "Abella District".
Notes
[edit]
- ^Building Cities that Protect Streams, Bay, and Ocean San Pablo: Abella Shopping Center.Blue Green Building. 2011. Retrieved 06-04-2011.
- ^14272 San Pablo Avenue, San Pablo, CA
- ^Home pageArchived2011-07-19 at theWayback Machine.Contra Costa County library website. 2011. Retrieved 06-04-2011.
- ^Calendar of Events & Activities.Berkeley Daily Planet.20-10-2000. Retrieved 04-06-2011.
- ^AC Transit System MapArchivedAugust 21, 2010, at theWayback Machine.AC Transit. 2011. Retrieved 04-06-2011.
- ^C3 scheduleArchived2011-07-25 at theWayback Machine.WestCat website. 2011. Retrieved 04-06-2011.