San Diego developer Merlone Geier Partners has proposed a $370 million redevelopment of a defunct Sears store in Glendale. The proposal was first reported by The Real Deal.
The firm wants to construct a 682-unit residential complex with 38,100 square feet of space for a public park. The project will include 665 apartments, 17 live-work units and amenities such as an outdoor pool and a fitness center.
Located at 236 North Central Ave., the Sears store closed in 2020 after 85 years in business. Its closure came after Transformco, the parent company of Sears and Kmart, liquidated 51 Sears and 45 Kmart locations.
The 182,300-square-foot Glendale property, which was built in 1935, was marketed for lease after Sears vacated the site. Sears Auto Center continued to occupy a 5,600-square-foot portion of the site after the store’s closure, but has since shuttered.
Merlone Geier plans to raze the building and a three-level parking garage on North Orange Street. The project site, situated on a 4.6-acre lot, also covers parcels at 216 and 220 North Central Ave., 309 and 315 North Orange Street and 212 West California Ave. The ground floor of the proposed structure will be set aside for the live-work units, while the parking garage will be turned into a public park.
The project is currently undergoing a preliminary design review. Merlone Geier plans to begin construction on the site in the third quarter of 2024 and is eyeing a 2027 completion date.
Merlone Geier recently sold 38003 47th Street East, a 250,000-square-foot mall in Palmdale, for $57 million. A month before that, it sold 39340 10th Street West, a 214,000-square-foot retail center also located in Palmdale, for $57.3 million.
Merlone Geier owns the NoHo West commercial complex at 6150 Laurel Canyon Blvd. in North Hollywood.
The company is currently redeveloping the Laguna Hills Mall in South Orange County. The approved plan will see the creation of 1,500 apartments, 465,000 square feet of offices, a 150-room hotel and 250,000 square feet of retail space.