SAN MARCOS — Housing developer Lennar Homes of California is proposing a project with 71 residential units and around 6,000 square feet of commercial space to replace the long-abandoned Sears site along West San Marcos Boulevard.
The Sears building at 1100 W. San Marcos Blvd. has been vacant for 15 years since the store closed in 2009. It is located directly west of the Old California Restaurant Row site, which Lennar is also redeveloping, and east of the Regal Edwards Cinema.
The city of San Marcos and Lennar held a public workshop on the project on Oct. 3, with feedback to be incorporated into the design. According to Lennar, the Planning Commission review of the project is tentatively planned for December.
The 2.7-acre lot was previously planned for a separate mixed-use development, including 82 units, by The McDonald Group, entitled back in 2018, but it never came to fruition. San Marcos Development Group LLC has owned the property since 2021 and is currently in escrow with Lennar Homes, which is aiming to acquire it.
An appraisal done this year values the property at around $4.7 million, according to property records.
While the Sears lot project is separate from the Restaurant Row project, Lennar said the two sites will feature complementary architectural elements and will be connected by improved pedestrian, bike and vehicle connectivity.
The Restaurant Row project will construct 202 housing units, over 10,000 square feet of commercial space, and a 1.5-acre park with a skate park and pickleball courts. City leaders approved these plans in late 2023, hoping that they would invigorate the area after the decline of the once-thriving dining and entertainment hub established in the 1970s.
While traditionally considered part of Restaurant Row, Fish House Vera Cruz, Cocina del Charro and Buffalo Wild Wings are under separate ownership and are not part of the redevelopment plan.
Lennar declined to comment on the project at this time, due to the property still being in escrow.
