Escondido zoning administrator approves Round 1 Entertainment at North County Mall
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Summary
Sally Shipman, acting as Escondido zoning administrator, adopted resolution 2025-11 on Oct. 30 approving a minor conditional use permit (PO 250089) and design review (PO 250285) to allow Round 1 Entertainment to redevelop a roughly 149,000‑square‑foot former Nordstrom at North County Mall into an indoor recreation and food‑hall venue with limited alcoholic service.
Sally Shipman, principal planner acting as Escondido zoning administrator, adopted resolution number 2025-11 on Oct. 30 approving a minor conditional use permit (PO 250089) and a design review (PO 250285) for Round 1 Entertainment to occupy the former Nordstrom space at North County Mall, 270 E. Via Rancho Parkway.
City planner Alex Rangel told the hearing that the applicant proposes to redevelop an approximately 149,000-square-foot, three-story tenant space into an indoor recreational facility featuring dining areas, mixed recreational uses, sports challenge areas and a food‑hall with multiple vendors. Rangel said staff found the project consistent with the general plan, the North County Mall master plan (Westfield Regional Shopping Center) and relevant provisions of the Escondido Zoning Code (Articles 61 and 64), and recommended approval.
Rangel also said the Escondido Police Department reviewed the alcohol‑service plan and "does not foresee any concerns with the service location for security plans." Jennifer Oden, counsel for the applicant, clarified that alcoholic beverages would be served to patrons 21 and older and "the First 2 Floors, Floors 1 And 2, yes, alcohol will be accessible within those 2 floors. The Third Floor in its entirety, including the party rooms, will not be accessible with alcohol." The zoning administrator repeated that limitation in the approval conditions.
Applicants described security and operations plans in response to questions from the zoning administrator. Matthew Strong, Round 1's director of loss prevention, said staffing would be adjusted to demand but that for the three‑floor, food‑hall format the company expects "at the minimum, 2 guards per floor starting from 5PM until closing on peak days" and additional entrance screening on lower‑traffic days. Applicants also said managers and staff will be beverage‑service trained, which they described as a state requirement, and that sound‑control measures will be used to limit noise transfer to mall common areas.
On parking, applicants said Round 1 is coordinating with mall ownership and property management on shuttle and off‑site employee parking for peak holiday periods, and that compliance with condition C.3 of the draft permit was part of those discussions. Applicants said final signage plans will be submitted separately by the landlord and reviewed by the city in a later planning process.
Shipman said she had reviewed the staff report and resolutions and determined the project "is in substantial compliance with the Escondido Zoning Code and the North County Mall Plan Development." She stated, "I do deem this item approved," and adopted resolution 2025-11. The hearing concluded and the meeting was adjourned.
Next steps: the applicant will submit signage for city review, and the city will post the adopted resolution to the permit record. Any appeals or additional administrative steps were not recorded at the hearing.
