Vista engages residents for old Burlington Coat Factory site
A preliminary proposal calls for 251 units in a mixed-use project although the developer says retail is saturated in the area and mixed-use is preferred
VISTA — What to do with the former Burlington Coat Factory property is the new hot topic in the city.
On Saturday, Councilman Dan O’Donnell, who represents District 4, held a town hall with about 60 residents on site. O’Donnell’s district includes the area.
There, O’Donnell explained what the preliminary plans are from Excel Property Management, and its subsidiary the Charles Company, for the property at 650 Sycamore Ave. The building is two blocks west of State Route 78 between Shadowridge Drive and Thibodo Road.
He said the application shows a mixed-used development for about 250 townhomes and condos and about 8,000 square feet of commercial space on 8.25 acres. However, the project is far from a done deal, O’Donnell said, as he is urging residents to send their feedback to the council and developer.
“The purpose of the meeting was to gauge community input to see what they’d like to see there or their thoughts if the current owners tried to move forward with rezoning for apartments and townhomes,” O’Donnell explained. “Overall feedback from the community is it’s too dense, but they could be supportive of housing there. They preferred to see more retail in that space because there’s not a lot of retail in that area of Shadowridge.”
In 2021, the City Council discussed a proposal of 256 units from Excel Property Management, the parent company of the Charles Company. Some of the commercial properties, though, were still occupied, according to a story in The Coast News.
Burlington Coat Factory, the anchor to the developer, left for a new location but an animal hospital was operating, according to Sarah Withers, director of entitlements for Excel.
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