Like so many malls, Westchester's Promenade at Howard Hughes Center was designed to be visited by patrons who arrive in cars. But over the past few years, more apartment dwellers and office workers have flooded into the Howard Hughes Center area (and adjacent Playa Vista), with even more growth on the horizon, so the Promenade's new owners, Laurus Corporation, are thinking about how to get those feet on the street and into their giant retail center, says the LA Times; now they've announced a plan to drop $30 million into updates for the 2001 mall. (Laurus announced its acquisition of the mall and the upgrades at the same time.)

The large-scale overhaul will be designed by Jerde Partnership (which designed Universal CityWalk and the open-air renovation of Santa Monica Place) and aimed at creating smoother entries into the compound for walkers, like a new crossing planned for Center Drive. Meanwhile, the courtyard across from the CInemark Theaters will become the "center" of the complex and get a new outdoor film screening area and a fire pit. More courtyards with new landscaping will be incorporated throughout the Promenade and building facades will be updated "to reflect a more modern aesthetic," a release from Laurus says.

By Laurus's estimates, Howard Hughes Center "will soon hold nearly 3,200 new multifamily units," including the luxury Altitude apartments, "and more than 1.3 million square feet of office space." That's a lot of potential shoppers. Renovations are supposed to begin "immediately."



· New owners plan $30-million face lift for Promenade at Howard Hughes Center [LAT]

· Laurus Corporation Acquires Iconic Promenade at Howard Hughes Center [Laurus Corp.]

· Loads of Luxury Apartments Break Ground at Howard Hughes [Curbed LA]