Ownership of the Pruneyard Shopping Center is developing an extensive plan to renovate buildings and build new ones at the popular Campbell destination.

The proposal from Ellis Partners went before the city’s planning commission Sept. 13. The commission unanimously voted to recommend city council approve the plan in October.

The plan involves carving the center into three parcels, erecting five retail buildings, giving exterior updates to existing buildings and constructing a five-story office building with underground parking on the southwest corner of the property.

“This is one of the few locations where you can appropriately fit a 100,000-square-foot office building,” Dean Rubinson, director of development for Ellis Partners, told the commission.

Pedestrian and bicycle pathway improvements are proposed, as is changing the traffic circulation in the shopping center, expanding parking and erecting a sign that would identify the Pruneyard from Highway 17.

The site’s zoning would also change from general commercial to commercial overlay.

The 27-acre multi-use center was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. According to a city staff report, the property last saw a major renovation in 1995.

Splitting the property into three parcels has been met with pushback from the city. However, Rubinson told commissioners subdividing would allow for financial flexibility to complete the project.

“As we’ve indicated, if we are granted the parcelization it will allow us to invest money into the full renovation scope and the full development of financing it on a parcel by parcel basis,” Rubinson said. “We can efficiently finance the construction and justify the expansion.”

The commission was more concerned with a proposed 10-year time frame for the project, which will be broken into four phases. In past draft plans, Ellis Partners proposed a timeline of 15 years. Two commissioners said they wanted a shorter timeline.

“I do think 10 years is a long time,” said Commissioner JoElle Hernandez.

Rubinson told the commissioners a 10-year timeline would allow for the project to be better financed than something shorter in case of an economic downturn. It would also lessen traffic impacts in and around the Pruneyard during construction.

“We feel like the 10 years is a fair compromise,” Rubinson said.

A date for city council review in October had not been finalized at press time.