VIDEO ABOVE: East Hills Mall owners keeping options open, but job one is underway: demo BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- A new shopping center is on the horizon for East Bakersfield residents. Years after the East Hills Mall was demolished, a new shopping and lifestyle center is tentatively set for opening in 2026, according to Vice Mayor Andrae Gonzales. City Lights is the newest proposed redevelopment plan to revitalize East Bakersfield. While tenants for the would be mall have not been made public, you can expect the project to be similar to the Shops at Riverwalk, the Ward 2 councilmember said in a social media post. The announcement was made during Monday's City Council Budget, Finance and Economic Development meeting. The East Hills Mall opened in 1987. Tenants eventually left the mall leaving it abandoned. Southern California developers purchased the land for $7.2 million in 2021. The remaining mall structure was fully demolished in 2022. In January 2023, the City of Bakersfield approved plans to allow a 346,500 square foot retail and commercial center. City Lights will be a privately held development and the city would not provide funding for the project, officials said.