Shopoff Realty Investments and architecture firm AO have broken ground on Bolsa Pacific at Westminster, moving forward with a large-scale mixed-use redevelopment on the former Westminster Mall site in Orange County. The project encompasses approximately 83.3 acres and replaces what had been a vacant regional mall with a new combination of residential, retail, hospitality, and open space.
According to the project team, plans for Bolsa Pacific call for roughly 2,250 residential units alongside about 220,000 square feet of retail space. The program also includes a 120-key hotel, adding a hospitality component to the site, as well as more than 15 acres of publicly accessible open space intended to serve future residents, visitors, and the surrounding community.
AO is serving as the master planner and design architect for both the residential and retail components of Bolsa Pacific. Its role spans the overall planning of the site and the design of the mixed-use elements that will replace the former enclosed mall. Shopoff Realty Investments is leading the development, working with AO to advance the project from planning into construction.
The redevelopment comes as retail repositioning continues to shape the commercial real estate landscape. Capital One Shopping data cited in connection with the project indicates that 46% of former malls are being transformed into mixed-use environments, underscoring a broader shift away from traditional single-use retail formats toward more diversified, multi-use sites.
Bill Shopoff, president and CEO of Shopoff Realty Investments, emphasized the collaborative nature of the effort and the importance of design in repositioning the property. He noted that projects of this scale and significance depend on deep collaboration and a shared commitment to place-making, and said that the partnership with AO has elevated the design of Bolsa Pacific while helping move the site’s transformation forward in a way intended to deliver lasting value to the community.
The start of construction at Bolsa Pacific marks a notable step in converting a vacant mall property into a contemporary mixed-use district, aligning the former Westminster Mall site with the growing cohort of retail assets reimagined as housing, retail, hotel, and open space destinations.
