by zapolski | Jul 1, 2013 | Uncategorized |
By Bonnie Durrance | North Bay Biz Magazine A couple of years ago, a visitor, wandering into the Napa Town Center, looked around in bewilderment and asked Todd Zapolski, “What’s going on here? Why is this, this way?” The visitor’s facial expression, remembers Zapolski, a real estate developer from the East Coast, who had been working on projects in the Bay Area since 1999, suggested that of someone caught in a time warp who found himself in, maybe, an outskirt of Lincoln, Neb., instead of iconic Napa Valley, the national treasure and destination for world-famous wine, food and lifestyle. At the time, Zapolski had no answer. “Maybe it was the timing,” he says now, reflecting on how things have since changed, “or maybe nobody was willing to put in the effort.” Now he’s putting in the effort and, if all goes as planned, The Shops at Napa Center will be a key part of the overall renaissance that’s transforming the city of Napa. Napa’s awakening Back in the 1980s, Zapolski recalls, when the Town Center was built, Napa was a sleepy little town. A working town. And the town shopping center had the homey look typical of middle America in that era. But by the 1990s, the city of Napa had started to yawn and stretch. A group of visionary community leaders came together and tackled the seemingly insurmountable problem of a river whose periodic flooding cost heavily in downtown property damage and even lives. They worked against politics and the expediency of simple-seeming answers with a long-range vision for Napa in mind. The resulting, multiple award-winning Napa Valley Flood Project, designed to...
by zapolski | May 2, 2012 | Uncategorized |
From North Bay Business Journal NAPA — A major proposed redevelopment of 156,000-square-foot shopping center in the heart of downtown Napa will go forward after the Napa City Council unanimously approved a 20-year plan to guide the area’s development and the months-long suitor for the property purchased it. The acquisition of Napa Town Center by NTC Shops, LLC., hinged significantly on the finalization of the Downtown Napa Specific Plan, according to an announcement from the buyer. The mall is expected to reopen as The Shops at Napa Center in 2013. Zapolski Real Estate, LLC, is coordinating redevelopment. “From a timing perspective, the passage of the Downtown Specific Plan was critical to getting our deal done,” said Todd Zapolski, founding and managing member of Zapolski Real Estate, in a statement. “As well, there is a broad-level buzz about the revitalization of downtown Napa, and this redevelopment will play a key role in furthering that.” The area involves an outdoor shopping area and three adjacent parcels that run along two city blocks of First Street, along with the multi-tenant Dunne Building that Zapolski purchased in October 2011. Napa Town Center has had high commercial-space vacancy in recent years. Current tenants include Ben & Jerry’s, Gillwoods Café, GNC, McCaulou’s, Mustard Seed Clothing Co., Napa Valley Jewelers and Napa Valley Toy Company. The Kohl’s department store adjacent to the center was not purchased. The first aspects of physical redevelopment are set for completion in late 2013. The planned aesthetic reflects “the modern agrarian feel that is authentic to Napa,” according to the developer. The new configuration will also include kiosk-type spaces that will...
