Why are there so many shopping malls in Mission Valley? (San Diego: apartments, condo)

[aboveordinary]

As a native of SD for 23 years, I've always wondered why there are so many malls in Mission Valley. There is Fenton, Hazard, Mission Valley Center, and Fashion Valley. They are all within a few miles of each other. Did developers just not have any ideas about what to put there? I mean Its not a big deal to me and I use the malls like most people here do, but it's just something I've recently been curious about.

[oddstray]

Mission Valley is a flood plain. It's not suitable for residential development.* It used to be largely ranches. I imagine when the mall developers started to get interested, it was cheaper to buy land there than anywhere else.

*Back when we had Mayor Mo, it was said (true or not, I don't know) that FEMA had told her they would not pay for any flood damage to the apartment/condo owners there because San Diego had no business putting them there!

[sschibuola]

I'm sure the floodplain issues come into it . . . but also consider that Mission Valley is the geographic heart of San Diego County's population (more or less . . .with all the growth to the north, the center may have shifted since the malls were built).

Many malls are there for the same reason that banks or other businesses congregate together instead of spreading themselves out to be convenient - Hotelling's Law

No. 2692: Hotelling's Law

[malcorub16]

Mission Valley is a good central location for malls, stores, banks, hotels, condo's/apartments and offices. Its a central business district where people from all over San Diego County (except the far North) can easily converge.

Not really much more to it.

Its is funny though, that Mission Valley Mall and Fashion Valley mall are so close to each other being that they are both malls and the others are shopping centers. Fashion Valley is of course the better of the two.

[futbol]

Originally Posted by sschibuola

I'm sure the floodplain issues come into it . . . but also consider that Mission Valley is the geographic heart of San Diego County's population (more or less . . .with all the growth to the north, the center may have shifted since the malls were built).

Many malls are there for the same reason that banks or other businesses congregate together instead of spreading themselves out to be convenient - Hotelling's Law

No. 2692: Hotelling's Law

Cool. I learned something today.

[aboveordinary]

Originally Posted by oddstray

Mission Valley is a flood plain. It's not suitable for residential development.* It used to be largely ranches. I imagine when the mall developers started to get interested, it was cheaper to buy land there than anywhere else.

*Back when we had Mayor Mo, it was said (true or not, I don't know) that FEMA had told her they would not pay for any flood damage to the apartment/condo owners there because San Diego had no business putting them there!

That makes sense. I saw a book recently at Barnes & Noble that had before and after pictures of different parts of the county. There was a section about Mission Valley being filled with farms and cows.

I know that whenever we get heavy rains Fashion Valley always floods and about 3 or 4 years ago, the stadium filled up with water right before a big game was to take place there.

I guess if there is ever a Tsunami warning, Mission Valley is the LAST place I would want to be.

Originally Posted by sschibuola

I'm sure the floodplain issues come into it . . . but also consider that Mission Valley is the geographic heart of San Diego County's population (more or less . . .with all the growth to the north, the center may have shifted since the malls were built).

Many malls are there for the same reason that banks or other businesses congregate together instead of spreading themselves out to be convenient - Hotelling's Law

No. 2692: Hotelling's Law

Cool link! I didn't know. Yes Mission valley is the center for San Diego County. That's one reason why I like the location of Qualcomm Stadium. Mission Valley is so accessible from all the major area freeways.

Originally Posted by malcorub16

Mission Valley is a good central location for malls, stores, banks, hotels, condo's/apartments and offices. Its a central business district where people from all over San Diego County (except the far North) can easily converge.

Not really much more to it.

Its is funny though, that Mission Valley Mall and Fashion Valley mall are so close to each other being that they are both malls and the others are shopping centers. Fashion Valley is of course the better of the two.

I was just thinking recently that Mission Valley has so many shopping areas close together. This is very apparent while riding the Green Line Trolley when 4 of the stops are all shopping spots.

[kettlepot]

Because it hasn't been explicitly stated, though we all know it, it still should be stated: It's about freeway access. There are so many malls and shopping centers in Mission Valley because of I-8. And as an east-west freeway, I-8 provided access to cheaper, inland land that the coastal I-5 didn't provide access to.

Now instead of valley of shopping malls, imagine if Mission Valley only contained the freeway and a greenbelt of natural habitat. Add in bicycle trails connecting from the surrounding, heavily populated mesas, and it would really be something.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

Because it hasn't been explicitly stated, though we all know it, it still should be stated: It's about freeway access. There are so many malls and shopping centers in Mission Valley because of I-8. And as an east-west freeway, I-8 provided access to cheaper, inland land that the coastal I-5 didn't provide access to.

Now instead of valley of shopping malls, imagine if Mission Valley only contained the freeway and a greenbelt of natural habitat. Add in bicycle trails connecting from the surrounding, heavily populated mesas, and it would really be something.

The malls pre-date I-8, but not by much (early 50's versus late 50's). So that might have also driven their choice of where to build. Mission Valley, San Diego - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[kettlepot]

From the linked article, it appears the malls were built in the same time frame as the freeway - late 50s to early 60s. Given the time needed to plan and build the freeway, I think we can be pretty confident that even if the malls were completed before the freeway, the mallers new the freeway was coming.

[trailtramp]

I-8 was started very late 50's, MV mall shortly thereafter in early 60's; FV mall was started around 68-69
.