Start the Countdown: New Otay Ranch Mall Set To Open Oct. 27

It's not your parents' mall - and it's the first major regional mall to open in San Diego County in over 20 years. For South County residents, especially those in the booming Otay Mesa area of Chula Vista, the new Otay Ranch Town Center mall is just what shopaholics need. But what will make Otay Ranch unique is that it is not set up as a tradtional mall as we know it - a vast elongated mall space anchored by major department stores. Instead, it will be a "lifestyle center," akin more to a neighborhood's main street business district, albeit with fancier stores and restaurants.

In fact, when the mall opens on Oct. 27, there will be nearly 90 mostly upscale specialty stores, including the Apple Store, Sur la Table, REI, Macy's, Forth & Towne, Coldwater Creek, Hollister, American Eagle. Restaurants slated are Nestle's Toll House Cafe, Macaroni Grill, P.F. Chang, Cheesecake Factory, King's Fish House, and more. The center will also have an AMC Theatre complex, a dog park, a chalk garden for kids, and many stores will actually be situated on its "main street" with street parking in front of some storefronts.

Otay Ranch Town Center will be holding a job fair Thursday, Sept. 7 at Southwestern College from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information about the job fair and the new mall, visit the Otay Ranch Town Center website here.

For my Top Picks of San Diego area malls, read my article here.