BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Thursday morning, local business leaders gathered inside the Harriet Hotel for a real estate forecast breakfast and a closer look at what could become one of northeast Bakersfield’s biggest developments.
Vince Roche with Cushman & Wakefield shared an update on the long-awaited City Lights project — formerly known as the East Hills Mall, which first opened in 1986. The mall once featured four department stores and a movie theater, but after the Great Recession, store closures mounted and foot traffic declined. By summer 2022, the site had been reduced to dirt.
Now, developers say the 35-acre property could see an investment of about $110 million.
The mostly vacant site recently secured parcel map approval along Mall View Road, Oswell Street, and Mount Vernon Avenue.
Plans call for 15 buildings with an open-air shopping layout, featuring local vendors in a style similar to The Park at River Walk.
Roche acknowledged delays, explaining that large-scale projects require negotiating multiple leases in this case, 18 different agreements with 18 companies. So far, 18 leases have been signed.
Sprouts has announced it will join the development, and one major tenant space remains available, along with several smaller retail spots still to be filled.
After construction delays in 2024, developers now say they are preparing to break ground, with hopes of a grand opening in 2026. Roche says the project is designed to better serve northeast Bakersfield residents, many of whom currently travel across town for basic goods and services.
For now, the site remains an empty lot.
But if all goes as planned, East Bakersfield could soon swap dust and debris for storefronts and new economic opportunity.
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