Sean Belk
-Staff Writer-
City officials, business owners and community members gathered on Wednesday, Dec. 10 to celebrate the opening of Chipotle restaurant, which completes the Signal Hill Gateway Center off of Spring Street between California and Atlantic avenues.
The opening comes after a Starbucks and a Sprint retail store opened their doors last month while two Bank Of America ATMs are expected to be operational by the end of December, said Ashley Schaffer, real estate manager for Signal Hill Petroleum, developer and property owner of the shopping center
“It was the final puzzle piece,” she said, adding that development at the shopping center first began in 2007. “We’re very happy it’s finally done.”
The businesses are the latest addition to the shopping center, which is also home to In-N-Out, Petco, Ross Dress for Less and Home Depot.
“We’re excited about Chipotle being here,” said Signal Hill Mayor Ed Wilson in an interview with the Signal Tribune. “New businesses mean new jobs, but also this is an establishment that’s really, really liked by the millennials, the younger people. I know it’s one of my daughter’s favorite restaurants to go to. We’re just excited for them to be here, and we’re going to look forward to a long-term, working relationship with them.”
Wilson noted that the new restaurant includes a patio that allows diners to eat while enjoying the view from Signal Hill.
During the invitation-only event that included a ribbing-cutting ceremony, community members, local business owners and city officials were treated to free food from Chipotle.
“We’re just really excited to get a Class-A tenant and a great new amenity for the city here at the Signal Hill Gateway shopping center,” said David Slater, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Signal Hill Petroleum, developer and property owner of the center. “The completion of this pad with Starbucks, Sprint and Chipotle builds out Signal Hill Gateway Center with a great addition and some great tenants, but it wouldn’t have happened without the support of the city and a great amount of support from city staff.”
