Pavilions Site on California Boulevard Is Already on the Market as Closure Arrives

The Pavilions property at 845 E. California Blvd. is already being marketed to prospective tenants as a grocery space, with commercial real estate listings advertising nearly 20,000 square feet at the South Lake-area site and describing it as “ideal for supermarket or specialty grocery use.” 

The listings surface as the nearly empty store’s actual shutdown appears to be occurring before its state-recorded effective date of Sept. 5, when a permanent-closure notice covering 55 employees takes effect. 

District 7 Councilmember Jason Lyon, whose district includes the store, has said re-tenanting the site could take a year to 18 months or longer. 

The building dates to 1974 and sits on a 1.11-acre parcel, according to listing records, which put the lease rate at negotiable and classify the site’s land use as supermarket. 

The Vons Companies Inc. filed its closure notice July 7 under the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. 

In a statement, Albertsons Companies said the decision to close the store “isn’t one we made lightly,” adding that “with our focus on growth, we continuously evaluate the performance of our stores and occasionally it’s necessary to close locations that do not meet financial expectations.” The company said that “with our lease term ending, we have carefully considered our options and decided to shift our strategy.” 

Courtney Carranza, Albertsons director of communications, public and government affairs for the Southern California Division, said Pavilions and Vons together have served Pasadena for 48 years. 

Carranza said the chain was working to identify opportunities for affected associates at nearby stores, “consistent with applicable laws and the labor agreement.” 

Lyon said that earlier he had asked the company to reconsider. “I contacted parent company Albertson’s right away to make the pitch for a rethinking the decision, but they tell me their business model is focused on maintaining larger locations, like the Vons at California Blvd. and Pasadena Ave.,” he wrote in an email.

His office then convened a meeting with the owner’s representatives and the city’s Economic Development Department. “The good news is that we all agree that a market is still the best use for this property,” Lyon wrote. 

He cautioned that the turnaround will not be quick. “It may take the management firm a year to 18 months (or longer) to identify a new tenant, negotiate a lease, and complete any needed site changes,” he wrote. “In the meantime, the City will make sure they maintain regular security at the site.” 

Lyon has called the closure “bad news, and sad news, for our neighborhood” and “a real loss,” saying the store “has been a walkable, full-service market for several residential neighborhoods in District 7” and that “its absence likely means more car trips, less choice, and less convenience for many residents.” 

The nearest Pavilions is at 1213 Fair Oaks Ave. in South Pasadena. Vons operates a store at 155 California Blvd. in Pasadena. 

Lyon said the Economic Development Department and his office “will be working to identify prospects for a new tenant at the site.”