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Vallarta to take former Best Buy site; City of Hope wins ARB approval for 115,000-sq.-ft. building
Summary
Community Development Director Craig Hensley told the Duarte City Council that a supermarket chain is set to occupy the former Best Buy site and that City of Hope received architectural approval for a three‑story pathology, radiology and oncology building; both projects involve multi-year buildouts and street improvements.
Community Development Director Craig Hensley told the Duarte City Council on June 15 that a supermarket chain is set to occupy the vacant Best Buy building and that City of Hope recently won Architectural Review Board approval for a large medical building on its campus.
Hensley said the supermarket will take the former Best Buy space and the store footprint is roughly 46,000 square feet. He said the supermarket chain has been in discussions with city staff and brokers for more than a year and that major interior and some exterior improvements are expected. Hensley said the store does not yet have a firm opening date but estimated it could be about a year before opening.
The announcement matters because the Best Buy parcel has been vacant since the national retailer left and city officials said a grocer would serve as an anchor for Town Center North. Councilmember Truong and several colleagues praised staff and outside brokers for long-term outreach that led to the deal.
Hensley also reported that City of Hope’s new three‑story, 115,000‑square‑foot pathology, radiology and oncology building won an ARB approval earlier in the week. He said the project will remove six older single‑story utility buildings, upgrade nearby parking and complete campus circulation improvements including widening Village Road, finishing Circle Road and extending an internal street named Manny Fineman Road. Hensley estimated the new building will take a couple of years to construct.
Councilmembers credited several staffers and the Lee & Associates brokerage team for recruiting new tenants and said the supermarket and the City of Hope project would help diversify local retail and bring activity to the downtown area. Councilmembers and staff repeatedly described the developments as part of longer-running economic development efforts.
The city did not provide a binding schedule or permit timeline for either project at the meeting. Hensley said the supermarket chain and the City of Hope projects still require the usual building permits, tenant‑improvement work and utility upgrades before construction or store opening could proceed.
A fuller development timeline, permit applications and exact project budgets were not specified at the meeting.
