The end of an era arrived with a single swing of an excavator Wednesday when Bill Shopoff, CEO of Shopoff Realty Investments, personally demolished the iconic “Westminster Mall” sign — officially kicking off one of Southern California’s largest redevelopment projects.
The 83-acre site, once home to one of Orange County’s most popular shopping centers since 1974, will now become Bolsa Pacific, a major mixed-use community featuring 2,250 new homes, more than 220,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, a 120-room hotel, and 15 acres of parks and open space. A new Target store is also planned for the site.
Like hundreds of malls across America, Westminster Mall fell victim to the shift to online shopping and officially closed last year. Its long vacancy had become a magnet for crime and complaints from neighbors. Now, the property is being transformed into a walkable, live-work-play neighborhood just off the heavily trafficked 405 freeway.
“This isn’t just replacing buildings,” Shopoff said. “You’re stewarding a piece of community history while shaping what comes next.”
This isn’t just replacing buildings,” Shopoff said. “You’re stewarding a piece of community history while shaping what comes next.
A similar transformation is now underway on the opposite coast. Just as the Westminster Mall in California is being reimagined into a mixed-use neighborhood with thousands of new homes, Dean Adler’s team just announced plans to redevelop Philadelphia’s Franklin Mall into 250 units of workforce housing, a youth sports complex, and a waterpark. Both projects highlight how aging malls nationwide are getting new life.
The project is the latest example of a growing national trend where dying malls are being reborn as housing-rich developments to help address America’s severe housing shortage. Construction is expected to continue through 2031.
Bolsa Pacific Project Factsheet
Location: 83-acre site of the former Westminster Mall, at Bolsa Avenue and Edwards Street, Westminster, California (right off the 405 freeway in Orange County).
Developer: Shopoff Realty Investments.
Project Name: Bolsa Pacific.
Key Components:
- Approximately 2,250 housing units (mix of for-sale homes, market-rate apartments, and affordable rentals).
- Over 220,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space (includes a new Target store).
- 120-room hotel.
- 15 acres of parks, open space, promenades, and walking trails.
Timeline:
- Ceremonial groundbreaking and demolition began April 15, 2026.
- Full project completion targeted for 2031.
Background: The mall opened in 1974, declined over time, closed in 2025, and had become a site for vandalism. The redevelopment turns a dead mall into a mixed-use, walkable community.
Significance: One of the larger mall-to-mixed-use conversions currently underway in Southern California.
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