Tanger outlet mall set for Westgate site in Glendale

Glendale's beleaguered Westgate City Center should get a shot of consumer energy later this year, when Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. opens a new outlet mall on the site. The project, called Tanger Outlet Center Westgate, will feature about 85 brand-name stores in an open-air mall on 38 acres at Loop 101 and Glendale Avenue. "This shows that Westgate is not dead," said Glendale Councilwoman Joyce Clark. "This is a sign that things are turning around for Glendale and for Arizona." The 328,000-square-foot mall is designed in a modern style to merge with Westgate, which has large, colorful billboards scattered around an outdoor plaza with a fountain that "dances" to music. Designs show that the outlet center also is oriented toward pedestrians, with courtyards -- some covered -- and a parklike atmosphere. Like Westgate, the buildings vary in height and the setting will have a few towers. The project has been in the works for months, with Glendale's design-review team pushing it through the system in two days. But Tanger made the official announcement only Thursday. The company had a one-sentence statement about the project in its earnings statement released Wednesday. Steven B. Tanger, president and CEO of Tanger, a North Carolina-based company, said the project should do well in the "dynamic" Phoenix market. Company executives and city officials plan to break ground within a couple of weeks.

Click here to view this article from its source.