Mall is the area's main attraction

By JACK HOPKINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

It is the namesake mall and surrounding commercial development for which the Southcenter area is generally known.

"The area is virtually 100 percent commercially developed," says John McFarland, Tukwila's city administrator.

Southcenter Mall, which will be 30 years old in August, is responsible for much of that.

Construction of the mall was followed by the Parkway Plaza development to the south. And the surrounding area took off too.

"At one time we probably had more home furnishing centers and outlets than any other city in the area. We were known as the home furnishing capital of Washington," McFarland says. "We still have a lot of them, but we have diversified and that is no longer our claim to fame."

There may be few residents in Southcenter, but at any given time there are a lot of people in the neighborhood.

"There are about 29,000 people who work in the area," says Chandler Felt, King County demographer. "About half of them work in retail."

But it is the shoppers who really jam the streets and the stores.

"We draw in 18 to 20 million shoppers annually," says Mikel Hansen, Southcenter Mall's general manager. "That is really a lot of people. And we've seen a steady increase over the years."

Southcenter Mall has gone through some major changes since it opened in 1968. It shut down the neighborhood's only large grocery store in 1989 and replaced it with a food court. And in 1992 it added the Mervyn's store and some additional shops in the mall.

Even the loss of Frederick & Nelson in 1992 didn't stop the mall's progress. Sears rushed forward to take its place.

"Southcenter has always been a desirable spot for the national players," says Hansen.

Mall owners -- The Richard E. Jacobs Group Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio -- don't release the annual sales volume at the shopping center, which has about 170 stores and vendors, with parking for more than 7,000 cars. But business is healthy, Hansen says.

"We have gross sales in excess of $500 a square foot. And any time you get over $300 a square foot, it's considered a good center.

"Retail in the '90s was kind of a struggle in all parts of the country. But we're returning to really healthy conditions again. Things are starting to bloom."

Kirstie Weaver shares Hansen's confidence in the future of the area.

"Southcenter is a vibrant community," says Weaver, executive director of the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce, which represents businesses in Tukwila, SeaTac and Burien.

Just how vibrant is obvious in a Portland, Ore., developer's decision to start work on a $62 million project that will replace the old Pavilion Mall with a 12-screen theater complex and restaurants, build new retail establishments to the south and remodel existing commercial developments to the north.

"They are planning a huge face lift for the entire area," McFarland says of MBK Northwest's project in the Parkway Plaza area. The Pavilion Mall already has been razed to make way for the theater and restaurants. And site preparation is under way for a large furniture store nearby.

Southcenter Mall's Hansen says MBK's development is a welcome addition that should strengthen the entire area. And he says he is encouraged by talk of locating theme parks and more entertainment facilities in the area.

"Growth is great. But it needs to be well thought out for the long term," Hansen says. "And I think the city has the right vision on long-term planning."