Leading the future of mixed-use development in California
Online retail has changed the way people shop — and the pandemic has accelerated this trend. Department stores have always been the foundation of shopping centers, but they are on the decline across the Bay Area and nationwide. These changes have accelerated the evolution of shopping centers nationwide — from shopping centers to neighborhood centers with a diverse mix of uses.
Gehl has been working with the client team and community leaders to develop a Master Plan which creates a great place, is economically successful, and meets the community’s needs. This has included internal design workshops, public ‘open house’ workshops, and even the design and staffing of an ‘Ideas Store’ in the shopping center. The collaborative design process has led to the creation of a master plan for the Hillsdale Shopping Center that is walkable, mixed-use, and transit-oriented with strong walking and biking connections to Hillsdale Caltrain Station. The neighborhood is centered around a series of dynamic open spaces: Hillsdale Center, a shopping destination to complement the existing North Block shopping destination; Hillsdale Square, a green open space with human-scaled dining pavilions and space for dynamic community programming; and the Edison Greenway, a lush off-street shared walking and biking path that transitions the existing single family neighborhood nearby to new residential and office buildings.
The neighborhood design incorporates community feedback and priorities from Gehl-led engagement efforts from 2021 to today, has resulted in a holistic development plan for the site that is in the process of being reviewed by the City of San Mateo.
