SB malls deal with vacancies

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- The impending closure of Starwood Vacation Ownership's call center at Carousel Mall is the second time in recent months one of the city's learned it would lose a major tenant.

The call center -- where more than 200 people worked on Starwood's time share business -- is officially set to close Jan. 19 but most of the 200-plus employees workers at the call center were let go Wednesday.

"It's unfortunate, but it's a sign of the times," San Bernardino interim Economic Development Agency director Emil Marzullo said. "I'm not surprised, but it's a couple hundred jobs. It's certainly a negative."

The city's other large indoor shopping center -- Inland Center Mall -- absorbed a blow when in October when Hayward-based retailer Mervyn's announced that all of the chain's stores would go out of business. Earlier this year, Meryvn's had announced that it would establish a new store at Inland Center.

Representatives of both malls said Thursday that they don't yet have information regarding what may replace Starwood or the anticipated Mervyn's.

Predicting the future of Carousel Mall is more complicated because the shopping center is part of a redevelopment process that could end with the mall being significantly remodeled or even demolished.

Located in downtown San Bernardino, Carousel Mall is often is home to some small retailers and the local chapter of the Democratic Party, but Carousel Mall's anchor stores are not places where business is conducted.

Marzullo said the heritage buildings -- the Harris, Andresen and Woolworth's buildings -- would be left standing if city officials decide the Carousel Mall needs be done away with.

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians closed escrow on Carousel Mall's vacant J.C. Penney building this summer. Tribe spokesman Jacob Coin said the San Manuels do not yet have a plan to announce for the business at that building.

The San Bernardino EDA has hired EDAW, a consulting firm, to help figure out what to do with Carousel Mall and the larger downtown area. Marzullo said the council could consider a plan by late February or March.

Carousel Mall general manager Sam Catalano also said EDAW's work will be critical in determining the site's future.

"The critical thing for me is that it (downtown redevelopment) is based in a real doable implementation basis, especially in this economy, which we may be in for the next five years," Catalano said.

Inland Center Mall, south of downtown, is generally a busier place than Carousel Mall with more upscale retailer. But executives' plans to add a Mervyn's store there hit a wall when the retailer announced that it was going out of business.

So far, Inland Center's owners have not disclosed if they have identified another retailer to do business in place of Mervyn's.

"We don't have that information to share publicly yet," spokeswoman Anita Walker said.
"We are following it very closely," she added. "It's a great property."