Cerritos : Shopping Mall Deadline

The City Council has given General Growth of California until Sept. 5 to deliver a specific development proposal for a major shopping mall across from City Hall. General Growth is one of two firms chosen to build the $225-million Towne Center complex, a series of office buildings, a high-rise hotel and retail stores on Bloomfield Avenue at 183rd Street.

General Growth has apparently had difficulty finding enough major department stores willing to commit to the mall. The city wants an upscale shopping center with three or four department stores. But several council members said some major retailers have shied away, fearing that the area can not support another major mall. City officials have grown increasingly frustrated over the delays in reaching a final agreement with General Growth.

If General Growth is unable to produce a mall package by next month’s deadline, city officials said, they may search for a new developer.

Meanwhile, Transpacific Development Co. announced that ground breaking next year on the eight-story hotel and a series of office buildings has been pushed back from March to May.