Santa Rosa residents react to potential sale of Montgomery Village shopping center

Jillian Bryant was surprised and concerned when she read the news that the local owners of Santa Rosa’s storied Montgomery Village shopping center are negotiating a potential sale of the property.

Bryant, 34, lives in a small home nearby with her family of four. She’s worried a new owner might mean an expansion of the center, possibly pushing out locally owned shops and reshaping the character of the surrounding neighborhood.

“Right now there’s a sense of charm to it,” she said, while waiting in line outside See’s Candies at the shopping center on Tuesday. “It feels local. The security guards know my kids. They wave to my kids.”

David and Melissa Codding, owners of the mall, have informed tenants they are engaged in talks to sell Montgomery Village to WS Development Co.The Boston-area developer specializes in building and managing outdoor commercial projects combining stores, restaurants and offices.

Muncie Harper, 79, of Santa Rosa has been coming to Montgomery Village for four decades. On Tuesday, she stopped by Jewelz’ Kitchen at the mall for a birthday lunch with her two friends, who also are longtime shoppers.

Harper isn’t too concerned about possibility of a new owner, but doesn’t want to see big changes for the shopping center.

“As long as they don’t enclose it,” she said. “I like that we have stores that are small and independent.”

Hugh Codding, David’s father, opened Montgomery Village as a neighborhood retail center 71 years ago on land that had been an orchard. For decades, the outdoor complex has been a popular place for generations of Sonoma County families to shop, eat and gather for musical performances.

Bryant’s two children, ages 2 and 4, look forward to the holiday events at the center each year. She said one potential benefit of the center changing hands could be upgrades to the property, in particular the addition of a children’s play area.

“A lot of younger families are coming in (to the area) so it would be cool to see more for little kids,” Bryant said.

Upon learning about the likely sale of the 300,000-square-foot center while on his way to the Village Bakery, Patrick Vidamo, 55, of Santa Rosa, said he’s looking forward to potential new stores.

“It’s a new beginning,” Vidamo said. “It’s something new that we’re going to see, and that’s the way I look at it. I’m happy about it.”

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian