Photos: Westfield | Click images to enlarge

[SCVEDC] – Westfield was recently awarded with a prestigious honor from the International Council of Shopping Centers; a GOLD award for design and architecture of the Patios expansion to Westfield Valencia Town Center.  The ICSC U.S. Design and Development Awards honor and recognize premier development and design trends of retail projects within the U.S, according ICSC. The GOLD U.S. Design and Development award is the highest achievement a retail project or store can receive regarding development and design.

“There is a lot of pride and excitement here at Westfield,” said Keith Kaplan, Vice President of Development for Valencia Town Center. “We have always known that the Patios design was unique and beautifully executed. However, we are humbled to receive such a prestigious award validating its distinctive position among other retail projects,” he added.

The GOLD award automatically places Westfield in the running for a global award in the potential categories of “Best Vision, Innovation, Value and Achievement,” “Shopping Center of the Year,” or “Best Sustainability Project.” Global award winners will be announced at ICSC’s annual RECon conference in May 2013 in Las Vegas. “We would be remiss not to share the success of this award with the partners that made the project happen including LNR and the City of Santa Clarita. Both groups have been instrumental in helping us achieve our visions and provide Santa Clarita with a world-class retail center.”

A significant name in the Santa Clarita Valley, Westfield continues to give back to the Santa Clarita Valley by working with local charities and holding a seat on the Board of Directors of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation.  Valencia Town Center serves as the hub for local residents to enjoy shopping, dining and entertainment.

Westfield broke ground on the 250,000 square foot expansion in January 2008 just before the height of the recession. Despite economic challenges, Westfield pushed forward with the project and welcomed shoppers in November 2010 with exceptional new retailers including Apple, Williams-Sonoma, Janie & Jack and Sephora.

Today, The Patios has become a Santa Clarita Valley destination. From Luxury shops like Michael Kors and BCBG to kid-friendly finds such as Five and Dime Candy Store and Paint A Dream, there is something for everyone. The Patios project illustrates Westfield’s commitment to the Santa Clarita Valley community to deliver the most exciting retail and dining options as well as iconic fashion and beauty brands. The newest retailers to join The Patios include: Five and Dime Candy Store, Shave It and Oil & Vinegar.

“We are thrilled for the Westfield team and share in the sentiments of ICSC,” said Jason Crawford, Marketing & Economic Development Manager for the City of Santa Clarita. “The Patios offers a beautiful shopping atmosphere for residents and visitors, and has been very successful in building Santa Clarita’s presence as a premier shopping destination. The caliber of brands offered at the Patios goes hand-in-hand with the award-winning design,” he added.

In 2012, Westfield opened 25 new retail stores at Valencia Town Center offering a total retail space of 1.1 million square feet with a total of 193 stores with more to come in 2013.

About Westfield Valencia Town Center

Westfield Valencia Town Center is the shopping, dining and entertainment destination for the Santa Clarita Valley. Anchored by Macy’s, JCPenney and Sears, the 1,000,000-square-foot shopping center is home to over 175 specialty shops and 12 restaurants. For additional information visit Westfield.com/valencia.

About Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation

The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) represents a united effort of regional industry and government leaders to provide an integrated approach to attracting, retaining and expanding a diversity of business and industry in the Santa Clarita Valley. Our overarching goals are to support the creation of high-paying jobs for our trained workforce, stimulate economic activity that grows the regional tax base and strategically position the Santa Clarita Valley and its businesses to better compete in the global economy. For more information visit SCVEDC.org.