Rancho Penasquitos Towne Ctr. — Local services in San Diego

This is the most oddly-managed strip-mall I have ever seen. This place has literally four different places to get a hair-cut or style, plus two different places to get your nails done. There two unique massage businesses. There are two sandwich shops literally next-door to one another, plus a third on the opposite end. There are two ice-cream shops; there are also two optometrists. For a while, there were two pet-supply stores, until the franchise operation drove the independent out of business - and that gets to the heart of the matter here: Management seems to drive out diverse local business with higher and higher rents, favoring franchises, seemingly willing to leave storefronts unoccupied for months, rather than simply not raise the rent. The "centerpiece" restaurant space has been vacant for more than a year, and don't get me started on the tremendous loss that was the ACE hardware store they drove out...

Rancho Penasquitos Towne Center offers a variety of stores, business and restaurants. Vons offers a great selection of groceries, their produce is fresh, the store is well stocked and clean (even the restrooms). The lines can get long in the late afternoon and holidays but the employees are diligent to get the customers through as quickly as they can, they will even open the register in the floral dept. and pharmacy to check out customers. The area is generally well lit and well maintained. Rita's, Starbucks, Golden Spoon, Rite-Aid make a perfect stop for an afternoon or evening treat that can be enjoyed sitting by one of the fountains. Looking forward to the construction being completed, it seems to have been delayed as no workers are seen on the premise where Café 56 used to be.

There is not any visible security. San Diego Police are known to be present on the premises to ensure safety. Rarely do I see any...

A plentiful plaza with a little bit of everything. It can get very busy around mid day to evening and there is never enough parking, but if you are willing to walk it'll work fine. Banks, cosmetics, retail shopping areas, a wide variety of cuisine from burgers and beer to mexican and sushi.

The biggest flaw in this shopping center is...the people who park here. My car has been dinged so many times that I have to either park between two parking spots, or at the very end, cushioned between two curbs and one spot, my tire rubbing against the curb, to avoid coming out to more scratches. Suburban folks tend to have an affinity for hitting cars and not leaving a note or anything. I've worked in this plaza for two years and change and I've garnered more scratches and door dings here at this plaza than I have my entire life of driving and travelling the...