Mall hires firm to find new tenants

Andrew Edwards

In a new effort to turn Costa Mesa’s Triangle Square into a

successful shopping center, the mall’s operators have made a new deal

with a Southern California real estate firm to find new tenants.

Charles Dunn Real Estate Services, the mall’s property manager,

announced the agreement with Los Angeles-based Colliers Seeley

International on Wednesday. The deal is the first time property

managers have outsourced leasing efforts for Triangle Square, Charles

Dunn regional vice president Bob Hitchcock said.

Hitchcock said he was assigned to Triangle Square about three

months ago, and his first major duty with the mall was to wrap up a

settlement agreement with Nike Inc.

Nike pulled Niketown, formerly one of Triangle Square’s most

recognizable retailers, out of the mall in January. Nike stated its

decision was based on the company’s view that Triangle Square had too

many vacancies.

Still somewhat new to Triangle Square, Hitchcock believes a new

leasing team is the missing ingredient to make Triangle Square a

viable shopping center.

“The leasing is the biggest thing we needed,” Hitchcock said.

The mall’s former leasing manager, Josh Shapiro, left Charles Dunn

earlier this year, and Hitchcock declined to discuss details of

Shapiro’s departure. New leasing efforts are set to be led by Cameron

Crowner, a vice president at Colliers Seeley’s Irvine office. In a

statement, Crowner indicated his intentions to look for business

serving Newport-Mesa’s niche markets.

He stated that he would look for unique companies that would not

need to be chain stores.

Crowner is slated to work with Colliers Seeley senior vice

president Bryan Norcott. Hitchcock said Crowner specializes in

leasing agreements with retailers, while Norcott focuses on

restaurants.

A restaurant is one possibility to replace Niketown, but Hitchcock

said no deal has been made with any prospective tenant and that

Crowner has multiple proposals to evaluate before a new tenant is

announced.

The deal is the latest of several changes at Triangle Square since

the mall’s 1992 opening. During a four-year period that ended in

2001, the mall had six different marketing directors.

Though Niketown remains an open space, companies are trying to

enter Triangle Square’s food court, which is almost completely

vacant.

Michael Wong, part of a team working to open a Kelly’s Coffee &

Fudge Factory at the mall, said he is still waiting for the

completion of health inspections and an opening that was planned for

as early as today appears to be more likely for Tuesday.

Another person working to open a store is Keith Scheinberg of KSDB

Inc. He wants to open a Mexican restaurant called Chronic Cantina,

but parking-related issues have delayed the effort. He and Hitchcock

said a parking study is in the works to aid his interactions with

Costa Mesa officials.

One Triangle Square business owner, Billy Stade, said he remains

worried about the mall’s future.

The owner of the Closet clothing store did not comment

specifically on the new leasing arrangement. He does not believe a

turnaround is in the mall’s immediate future.

“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Stade said.

However, Scheinberg interpreted the new leasing arrangement as a

sign business conditions at the mall could improve.

“I think everyone’s pulling together to make that center really

viable,” he said.