Shopping center mogul Rick Caruso, most famously of The Grove and Americana at Brand malls, is hard at work revamping a big swath of downtown Pacific Palisades into a lively little walkable Main Street USA, and overhauling a former Masonic Lodge in Glendale (right across from the Americana) into an office building with so many amenities that workers will never have to leave their offices. But the one project it seems he'd love to get his hands on and just can't yet is Marina del Rey's Fisherman's Village, he tells Bisnow.
Bisnow hears that Los Angeles County approached Caruso about swapping out the kitschy Fisherman's Village for a mixed-use project (presumably with housing and retail, like the Americana), but Caruso says that "The Fisherman's Village project is not within our control. We've had discussions with the leaseholder, but he hasn't made a decision." The leaseholders at Fisherman's Village, Gold Coast Village LLC, have their own ideas for what should replace the quirky Village, and it's a swanky retail center (which is certainly within Caruso's purview too).
Caruso's already got a collection of shops and eateries nearby called Waterside, which he says is "producing strong returns." Though he'd certainly "like to do more in the Marina," for now he's playing the waiting game. The entire Marina is set to be rearranged in a big way under a plan approved by the LA County Board of Supervisors last fall.
· Exclusive Q&A With LA Real Estate Mogul Rick Caruso [Bisnow]
· First Look at Marina del Rey's Fisherman's Village, Post-Swanky Overhaul [Curbed LA]
· LA County Supes Approve Major Rejiggering of Marina Del Rey [Curbed LA]