A revised plan to open a Target store in Downtown will have a new hearing before the Architectural Review aboard in August.
At the August 19 meeting, Commissioners will see a revised plan from the company after its initial plans were for using cheap looking materials and including too much store branding.
As originally proposed, the project will occupy the former Fred Segal building at the corner of 5th and Broadway with a goal of opening in 2020. The store will be a 24,000 square feet retail space in a building that retailer Fred Segal vacated in March 2016. Renderings of the location show a one-story building with wood paneling and windows facing the street.
While officials have praised the idea of a store at the location, the process has already encountered a few speedbumps. The initial hearing for the store was postponed in May of this year due to a clerical error and when the project did make it to a hearing, ARB Commissioners were not happy with the design.
The store would be Target’s first foray into Santa Monica, although the company tried to open a large store at the corner of Santa Monica and 5th in 2001. That effort was abandoned in the face of heavy community opposition. Target has since opened stores nearby in Sawtelle, Culver City and Westwood.
Target’s proposed reboot of the building that retailer Fred Segal vacated in March 2016 involves painting the concrete block and stucco facade white and red, wrapping parts of the exterior in brown concrete panels and installing aluminum windows and doors. The design also includes six Target logos in various sizes and two signs with the company’s name.
During the June hearing, Target’s architect said the store will be in line with the smaller-format concept that has been rolled out across the country. A similar store recently opened on Santa Monica Blvd. just outside city limits.
Commissioners criticized the use of large Target logos on the building that include white circles on a red background. They also wanted an expanded lighting plan, better landscaping and asked the company to use higher-quality materials in the project.
The ARB is scheduled to meet on August 19 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 1685 Main Street
SMDP reporter Madeleine Pauker contributed to this story.
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