New Shopping Center to Open Near Airport

A new shopping center called The Long Beach Exchange or “LBX,” is slated to open this spring near Long Beach Airport, bringing several new retail tenants with dining, lifestyle and apparel offerings to East Long Beach, according to the developer.  

Re-purposing a site formerly used for aircraft manufacturing at the southeast corner of Lakewood Boulevard and Carson Street, the new shopping center is expected to include anchor tenants such as 365 by Whole Foods Market, Dunkin’ Donuts, In-N-Out Burger, T.J. Maxx and Nordstrom Rack.

In a statement released this month, Newport Beach-based developer Burnham-Ward Properties and its affiliate Burnham USA and Rockwood Capital announced new additions to the proposed shopping center’s tenant roster, including ULTA Beauty, Images Luxury Nail Lounge and T-Mobile.

“We are thrilled to be bringing our signature luxury services to Long Beach Exchange,” said Tony Nguyen, general manager of Images Luxury Nail Lounge, in the announcement. “We share LBX’s philosophy of supporting small businesses within the local community while offering the highest quality experience to our customers.”

The new shopping center is being built on a 26.6-acre site at the Douglas Park planned development and business district on property historically used for aircraft manufacturing purposes by McDonnell Douglas and Boeing, which shuttered its C-17 manufacturing plant in 2015.

The new center is expected to encompass approximately 266,000 square feet of retail shops and restaurants, with two acres of communal public open space. The shopping center will include a total of 1,345 parking stalls, along with bicycle racks, electric vehicle charging stations and carpool parking.

Designed by San Clemente-based RSM Design, the new shopping center will honor the site’s aeronautical legacy with “innovative and artful” signage and wayfinding features, according to Burnham officials.

The new center will include three distinct shopping zones: “McGowen’s Approach,” featuring a pedestrian promenade and entrance; “The Landing,” featuring time line installations on local aeronautical history and a grand-scaled 1.25-acre central plaza; and “The Hangar @LBX,” a 16,800-square-foot structure designed to replicate a weathered airplane hangar, showcasing local purveyors of art, food, design, fashion and other unique goods and services.

Other retail tenants that have signed leases for space at the new shopping center include: MOD Pizza, GritCycle, Orangetheory Fitness, PetSmart and Ra Yoga, with some tenants expected to open by May, according to Burnham officials.

sean@beachcomber.news