Subhed:  Mall tenant posts on social media saying town center owner’s ‘show-and-tell’ includes plans for Costco, restaurants, hotel, apartments, then deletes it, citing inaccuracies  A longtime haberdasher at the Valencia Town Center posted on social media regarding plans for the hundreds of millions of dollars Centennial is investing in the Santa Clarita Valley’s largest retail center – including, he said, a new Costco outlet – then withdrew the post, citing inaccuracies, after The Signal began contacting the mall’s owner and other companies mentioned in his post.  The original post said the plans include a new Costco, upscale restaurants, a hotel and more.  The addition of a new Costco, the placement of 450 residential units at Valencia Boulevard and Citrus Street and some well-known restaurants were among the talking points put online on social media in a post by the owner of J. David’s Custom Clothiers.  Later on Wednesday, he deleted the post and contacted The Signal to say, “It turns out I have shared things I should not have and it’s apparently creating some issues,” and his post “was not correct in the way I stated things.”  No official designs have been submitted to City Hall, but city planners are aware of some sharing and discussion going on, according to Jason Crawford, community development director for the city of Santa Clarita.  “Centennial has not submitted the plans to the city,” Crawford said. “I am aware that Centennial has been doing a show-and-tell of some of their ideas.”  The now-deleted social media post indicated the developer is at the critical juncture where the city soon will be involved: the permit process. In response to questions about the rumors online and status of the project, Katy Spicer, chief of staff at Centennial, issued the following statement via email Wednesday:  “While it’s too soon to announce definitive redevelopment plans for Valencia Town Center today, those plans and discussions are well underway. We are working side-by-side with the city of Santa Clarita officials to maintain the essence of what Valencia Town Center has always been to the Santa Clarita community and to build upon that to create a transformative and modern mixed-use campus that attracts locals and visitors alike.”  David Guenther, owner and operator of J. David’s Custom Clothiers in The Shops at the Patio, wrote in the original post that he was shown a three-year rollout for a Costco store and gas station as part of the development Centennial is planning for the area.   “As a main tenant at the Valencia mall, just want to offer clarification of what’s happening,” Guenther wrote, offering praise for the new ownership group, Centennial, as well. He later stood by that praise after deleting his post.  “Costco is signed and will be open out near Chick-fil-A in 36 months, a new multilevel parking structure will be by it along with a multi-pump gas station,” he continued in the since-deleted post, also mentioning a multistory hotel, as well as a 450-unit “upscale” apartment building above with underground parking with a first floor dedicated to retail.   The big-box retailer previously eyed the mall as part of a plan pitched in January 2020, shortly before a global pandemic halted many developments.  Guenther also noted in his original post that he committed to a “very expensive” seven-year lease on the location because he is very excited about Centennial’s vision for the area.  Capitol Grille and Il Fornaia were two of the restaurants named specifically in Guenther’s now-deleted post, with the latter eyed for the location across from the Cheesecake Factory.  Neither restaurants’ corporate office had a representative immediately available Wednesday afternoon.   Costco’s website indicates the company “cannot comment on locations that will be opening more than three months from today.”   There have been hours of discussion and public outreach from the city of Santa Clarita about the future of the mall, which was purchased by the Dallas-based developer more than a year ago after Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield defaulted on its $195 million loan for the property.   City officials, very concerned about the future of the property, set about to create a virtual framework.  Their plan seeks to turn the location into a destination shopping spot for Interstate 5 commuters, a la The Irvine Spectrum Center, and add a couple thousand housing units to the mix.  The city’s framework called for an expectation of a little over 2,000 units for the 111-acre property, as well as approximately 13.77 acres, or 600,000 square feet, set aside for commercial development. The city’s Town Center Specific Area Plan also calls for a “strong encouragement” for 20% of those housing units to be affordable.  In terms of revealing its plans for the area, outside of a September 2023 interview with The Signal, and comments of support of the city during the City Council’s discussion of its Town Center Specific Area Plan, Centennial has publicly said little else, so far.  The post Business owner announces mall plans, then recants  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.