Carlsbad On Track to Become Premier SoCal Shopping Destination

Carlsbad is already known for it’s many attributes, including beautiful beaches and lagoons, hiking and biking trails, natural preserves and the Flower Fields, and yes, great shopping and dining. Popular shopping places like the Premium Outlets and the upscale Forum shops beckon many locals and tourists, but there are some future shopping projects that will draw even more shoppers to the area down the road.

Westfield Shopping Mall Transformation: The Westfield shopping mall at the northernmost part of the city has been undergoing some changes already – including the addition of a new Regal Cinema and 24-Hour Fitness. The next phase will convert the greatly outdated indoor mall into an outdoor shopping experience, with the addition of many new stores and restaurants, including Panera, Luna Grill, Peet’s Coffee and a fish grill.

Restaurant tenants are expected to start moving in late this summer, but the conversion of the mall to an outdoor mall will not be completed until possibly early 2017. Construction will begin after the 2015 holiday season.

The Caruso Project: Also exciting is the news that down the road Carlsbad will have a new shopping experience that may mirror L.A.’s outdoor mall The Grove (same owners), with upscale shopping and dining in a beautiful setting close to the beach and lagoon. The proposed project will occupy the 50 acre site that currently houses the strawberry fields at the northeast corner of Cannon Road and interstate 5, but will not likely be completed for about 10 years (much to my teenage daughter’s dismay). The owners are the same company who own The Grove. While this project has not been officially announced to the public, many are aware and some local residents have been assisting with planning efforts.

For those who already know just how wonderful Carlsbad is, there will soon be a few more things to place on the list of things to do here in our amazing city.