Lifestyle Retail Center And Ayres Hotel Break Ground At Millenia
Local developer Sudberry Properties and Los Angeles-based Ayres Hotels broke ground Tuesday on Millenia Commons, a 131,800 SF destination retail center and 135-room boutique hotel. Both projects are along Millenia Avenue, south of Birch Road at the gateway to Millenia and will enjoy visibility from State Route 125.
Millenia Commons is the primary retail component at the 210-acre Millenia master planned community, which is designed as the urban epicenter of South San Diego County. The 12.5-acre lifestyle center, which will provide a lifestyle hub for the Millenia community, is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Leasing broker Flocke & Avoyer has signed up a number of national and local retail tenants, including HomeGoods, Cost Plus World Market, Ross Dress for Less, buybuy Baby, Mattress Firm, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Papagayos Grill & Cantina, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, Great Clips, Jamba Juice, McDonald’s and Pacific Dental Services.
“We’re excited to become a part of Millenia, and obviously so are a large contingent of nationally recognized tenants,” Sudberry Properties President Colton Sudberry said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “We’ve enjoyed a great response from best-in-class retailers and restaurants that share our enthusiasm for this future urban hub.”
The center's contemporary, urban design features a pedestrian-friendly environment with outdoor gathering spaces to create a strong sense of place. The center’s contemporary character will reflect the modern urban style of the overall Millenia master planned community.
Sudberry’s development team includes Andrew Hull Stevenson Architects and GroundLevel Landscape Architecture. Hazard Construction is doing the initial grading and infrastructure work for Millenia Commons. Sudberry Properties is in the process of selecting additional contractors. Millenia Commons occupies two separate parcels on both sides of Millenia Avenue.
The Ayres Hotel features an edgy urban design and interior décor coupled with the comforts and personalized service for which the Ayres Hotels collection is known, including a full bar in the lobby and the outdoor courtyard, a fitness center, three conference rooms and a boardroom. The hotel, which is 2.5 miles from the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center (formerly the Olympic Training Center), will feature a projection in the lobby celebrating unforgettable Olympic moments.
“Ayres Hotels’ fresh urban perspective is a perfect complement to Millenia’s future as the strategic hub of the Cali Baja binational mega-region," Ayres Hotels of Southern California principal Bruce D’Eliscu said at the groundbreaking. “We are poised to take full advantage of future business growth and the strong South County economy.”
The hotel is scheduled to open in approximately one year. This is the second Ayres Hotel in San Diego County, but the hotelier has 22 hotels throughout Southern and Central California. The Ayres Hotel development team includes architectural design by ACS Architectural Services and landscape architecture by Village Green, both of Newport Beach. The general contractor is Ayres Group.
“Sudberry Properties and Ayres Hotels are Southern California pioneers in creating best-in-class retail and hotel environments," said Guy Asaro, president of locally based Meridian Development, which is managing development of Millenia for property owner Stratford Land. "We are honored that they concur with our vision of a vibrant South County urban hub."
Designated a Smart Growth Urban Center by the San Diego Association of Governments, Millenia’s master plan calls for 3,000 multifamily residences, 2M SF of Class-A office space, 1.5M SF of retail, hospitality, civic and mixed-use projects and six urban parks, woven together with a system of tree-lined promenades, bikeways and plazas.
