EDITORIAL

Huntington Center is getting a face-lift.

But at what or whose expense?

Last week, the City Council agreed to reinvent the 30-year-old mall --

with a price tag of $150 million -- and turn the defunct shopping center

into an Italian-style village, sporting high-end restaurants and a

22-screen movie theater.

But there’s a catch.

The project’s developer, Ezralow Retail Properties LLC, doesn’t want

Burlington Coat Factory, which signed a 30-year lease with the mall just

five years ago, and Wards, which has been at the mall for decades, to be

part of the center’s renaissance.

Unfortunately, the City Council agreed with Ezralow and has offered to

buy out and relocate the two department stores.

We don’t understand these actions.

Neither of the department stores are small operations, and both have

locations throughout the country. They don’t want to move, and they

shouldn’t have to.

While Burlington and Wards aren’t the so-called anchor store mall and

city officials would have hoped for, those two businesses have been the

constant driving force and customer attraction at Huntington Center

through many dark years.

These two businesses have stuck it out as tenant after tenant fled the

mall, leaving it a virtual ghost town.

And now, the thanks they get is the city wants to show them the door.

A recent report by the city’s Economic Development Department states

that while Mervyns, which is also located at Huntington Center, is

performing within industry standards, Burlington and Wards are 60% to 70%

below that.

That doesn’t mean those numbers can’t change.

Still, to move these stores to another location in the city and hope

they will generate more money isn’t fair. And who’s to say they won’t

prosper at the proposed Crossings at Huntington if given the chance?

We don’t understand why the city has chosen to punish them by moving

them.

Both Burlington and Wards officials have stated they will do whatever

it takes -- including spending millions to remodel -- if they are allowed

to stay.

They should be given that chance to prove themselves.

Another part of this major project that doesn’t sit well with us is

the proposed 22-seat movie theater. Huntington Beach does not need

another movie theater.

How can the city accept such an idea at a time when movie theaters

across the country -- WestStar Cinemas Inc., Silver Cinemas International

Inc., Carmike Cinemas Inc., Edwards Theater Circuit Inc. and United

Artists Theater Co. -- have filed for bankruptcy protection this year?.

Huntington Beach already has two movie theaters, not to mention a

10-screen theater in nearby Westminster.

Don’t get us wrong, we are excited by the prospect of a vibrant new

shopping center in Huntington Beach. We just want to make sure the

choices of tenants made by city and mall officials are fair, smart and

the best thing for the center’s future.