Led by International Real Estate & Entertainment Visionary Paul Kurzawa, Growing Lifestyle Center Team Revitalizes Shopping Centers with Unique Community-First Focus
OXNARD — CenterCal Properties, a mixed-use developer and retail operator, announced the official expansion of their new Redevelopment & Advisory services division.
CenterCal Properties, along with Shea Properties, is the co-owner of the Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard.
CenterCal’s third-party services division partners with real estate owners and investors and supports them in revitalizing their existing retail centers, enhancing value for their customers, retailers and communities they serve. To lead this expanding growth channel, CenterCal recently hired prominent international real estate and entertainment visionary Paul Kurzawa as Chief Operating Officer.
“CenterCal has been a leader in creative, community-first development for nearly 20 years, and today we get to bring our rich experience in development and construction, marketing, leasing, design services, and property and asset management—as well as our unique tenant relationships—into this critical third-party advisor space,” says Kurzawa. “The opportunity to come in and create value for all players is immense at this point in time. The psychology of consumers continues to evolve, especially since COVID—experience, convenience, safety, selection and price are more important than ever—and retail shopping center owners are under immense pressure to restore cash flow and valuations to their assets. To do this, they need to reimagine their real estate—and that’s where CenterCal truly excels.”
CenterCal’s 20 successful properties across five western states are proof of their expertise in creating exceptional, authentic experiences from the ground up, while their newly completed project, The Village at Totem Lake in Kirkland, Washington, is a prime example of the value creation they bring as a third-party advisor and re-developer. Totem Lake was a 1970’s era mall that CenterCal and local private and governmental partners transformed into a transit-oriented, mixed-use village that recently won the Washington Governor’s Smart Communities Award for creative leadership, constructive collaboration, and best practices for other communities to adopt.
“This project aligns with that vision to create a central core in Totem Lake that includes a dense mix of medical, retail, office, and housing in architecturally attractive buildings, all with connections to the Cross Kirkland Corridor,” said Kirkland City Councilmember Kelli Curtis. “Our diligent planning has led to this amazing place, a true village.”
With the retail real estate landscape changing faster than ever, and given today’s social and safety concerns, owners need an expert, forward-thinking partner like CenterCal, who has a proven track record in community engagement and value creation.
“CenterCal is a developer unlike any other,” says CenterCal CEO and Founder Jean Paul Wardy. “We put community first—always. Each and every one our projects are thoughtfully designed to deliver authentic, ‘home-grown’ experiences that strengthen the social fabric of the neighborhood for generations to come. This differentiated approach not only helps the community, but the bottom lines of our retailers and investors who reap the benefits of our success.”
CenterCal’s industry-leading team, boasting decades of experience in development, entertainment, hospitality, branding and placemaking, is well-qualified to dominate the third-party advisory space.
“We are experts in community engagement and understand how to pivot to best serve the tenant and the consumer,” says Kurzawa. “Right now, some owners would benefit from transitioning away from traditional retail uses to other asset classes such as residential, office or hospitality. Others, who choose to remain primarily retail, must find relevant brands and services that serve the broader market and attract a new customer, growing visitation, length of stay and, therefore, growing sales. The correlation of sales performance to market differentiation and dominance is now stronger than ever.”
Real estate owners and investors who are interested in partnering with CenterCal on current ventures should contact Paul Kurzawa, Chief Operating Officer, at pkurzawa@centercal.com or (310) 563 6900.
About The Collection — The Collection at RiverPark is a 650,000-square-foot, open-air, specialty retail center located in the heart of West Ventura County, owned in partnership by CenterCal Properties and Shea Properties. Inspired by the beauty of the California coast, The Collection reflects the unique atmosphere of the surrounding seaside communities and features a carefully crafted assortment of established and contemporary designer shops, distinctive dining, and signature entertainment venues. Anchors include Target, Century RiverPark 16 & XD, Levity Live Comedy Club, 24-Hour Fitness SuperSport, REI, Whole Foods Market, H&M, Ulta and The Container Store. Restaurants include Yard House, Larsen’s Grill, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, The Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin, Panera Bread, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Copper Blues Rock Pub & Kitchen, Gen Korean BBQ, Kabuki Japanese Restaurant, Los Agaves Mexican Restaurant, Luna Grill, Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana, Texas de Brazil and more. The Collection is also home to The Annex Food Hall, a 16,000-square-foot, beautifully designed, artistic, inviting food hall that celebrates the spirit of small business and local operators. For more information, visit http://www.thecollectionrp.com and follow @TheCollectionRP and @AnnexFoodHall on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About CenterCal Properties — CenterCal Properties, LLC, founded in 2004 by Fred Bruning and Jean Paul Wardy, is a full-service commercial real estate company in the business of investing, developing, leasing, and managing its projects. CenterCal excels in, and is best known for, creating destinations throughout the western United States with a unique strategy of “place-making,” which emphasizes the importance of developing spaces with a sense of community.
Bruning and Wardy’s creative vision and passion for development, coupled with CenterCal’s internal expertise, is evident in the properties the company owns and operates today. In the Pacific Northwest, those include: Bridgeport Village, Mercantile Village, Nyberg Rivers and Nyberg Woods in Oregon, and The Village at Totem Lake, Valley Mall, The Terminal at Ballard and The Trails at Silverdale in Washington. The Intermountain Region properties include: Mountain View Village, Station Park and Canyon Corners in Utah and The Village at Meridian and Treasure Valley Marketplace in Idaho. California is home to: Bay Street Emeryville, The Veranda, The Collection at Riverpark, 2nd & PCH and Plaza 183. Projects currently under development include Mountain View Village Phase 2 in Riverton, Utah and The Village at Meridian Phase 2B in Meridian, Idaho.
CenterCal Properties also provides our valued partners with 3rd Party Management services at Oakland Mall in Troy, Michigan, and Manhattan Town Center in Manhattan, Kansas.
For more information on all of CenterCal’s properties, please visit www.centercal.com.