Happy Anniversary, Chandler Fashion Center!

This Saturday morning is beautiful weather. Bright, big, blue sky. White puffy clouds...enough to make one go shopping!

Well, okay, maybe being indoors isn't the best way to spend a day like this. But if you're in the mood, you can help the Chandler Fashion Center mall celebrate it's big fifth anniversary this weekend. Yep, five years ago this week, our neighbor opened in Precinct 134.

Not without a lot of us being pretty concerned, though, I can tell you. The idea of having a mall open up less than a mile away from your quiet, peaceful neighborhood was enough to make many home owners such as myself a little anxious. Would the neighborhood become overrun with delivery trucks, short-cutting traffic and satellite crime? Would the place be an eyesore?

Not that we had much spare bandwidth to be asking these questions. Recall, after all, that this was only a few weeks after 9/11, and folks had other concerns foremost in their minds. But still, many of us wanted to make sure that, if a mall were moving in within spitting distance, it wouldn't be just one more thing hurting our neighborhood.

Our HOAs fought with the developers and the city to make sure that the neighborhood was protected, though. We had a wall and a green belt established. Country Club was re-routed to prevent short-cutting through our neighborhood. The idea of a pedestrian gate was nixed (repeatedly).

The end result is that the neighborhoods in the western section of Precinct 134 are actually MORE peaceful with less thru-traffic than before the mall opened! And now, five years later, we have outstanding shopping, food and entertainment options within a few minutes of our doors.

It's not all been perfect. Vandalism to the wall separating CFC and Hearthstone has caused some stress for folks on that side. But on the whole, CFC/Westcor has been a great neighbor.

In honor of their fifth anniversary, here's my Top Ten List of "Best Things About Having Chandler Fashion Center as a Neighbor", developed with help from some friends:

10. City tax revenues of an estimated $8 million a year from Chandler Fashion Center businesses. That's revenue that our City Council can use to improve our streets, field more first responders and provide some of our neighbors more reasons to launch a Recall campaign.

9. Because malls are the only place you can find the addictive ingredient found in those Chick-fil-A sandwiches.

8. Development of satellite businesses - such as Cosco and Target - are saving me lots of gas money and time in traffic when I go shopping for groceries and other household items. The benefit to my blood pressure alone is staggering.

7. Where else can you buy a single Gummy Bear?

6. Because Santa Claus stopped making house calls in 1975.

5. A three minute drive or a ten minute walk brings me to a cornucopia of entertainment and restaurant options so extensive, I can't decide where to be overcharged first!

4. Because at the mall, your kids get to bother somebody else for a while.

3. It's a lifesaver for those of us who desperately need those big pretzels and overpriced sunglasses between the hours of noon and six on Sunday!

2. It's a perfect place to conduct sociological experiments. Er...go people-watching, I mean.

...and the Number 1 "Best Thing About Having Chandler Fashion Center as a Neighbor"?

1. Chandler Fashion Center Mall: Bat-free since 2003!!!

I kid, I kid! I kid because I love. :D

So, here's looking to another five years of community harmony and good shopping, CFC! Congratulations on your Fifth Anniversary and many happy returns! (Heh, well, maybe not returns...)

***

Also, here are some recent articles written in local papers commemorating the anniversary:

1. Fashion Center has a happy 5th birthday.

2. Chandler mall to change over time.

3. Mall's 5 years warrant major coverage.

4. Chandler Fashion Center turning 5.

5. Fashion Center a regional draw.

6. Changes inevitable at Fashion Center.