Macdonald 80 Shopping Center
Macdonald 80 Shopping Center is a regional shopping center in Richmond, California, anchored by a Target store.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Macdonald 80 Shopping Center, commonly called Macdonald 80, is a regional shopping center in Richmond, California's North and East neighborhood. The approximately 200,000-square-foot center occupies a strategically located site between Macdonald Avenue, Interstate 80, Bay Area Rapid Transit tracks, and the Richmond–Contra Costa County Health Center. Its principal anchor is a Target store. The property is notable not only as a retail destination but also as a major urban-redevelopment project intended to restore commercial activity along Macdonald Avenue, historically regarded as Richmond's main commercial street. The original shopping center was developed in the 1950s, when it was one of the few modern retail destinations in the surrounding area. Its early tenant mix included Montgomery Ward, Toys "R" Us, Imperial Savings, and Taco Bell. The center initially served a broad regional market because competing destinations such as Hilltop Mall, Pinole Vista Shopping Center, and Bay Street Emeryville had not yet been established. Over subsequent decades, however, the retail environment changed. Imperial Savings closed in the early 1990s, Toys "R" Us moved to the Pinole Vista center, and Montgomery Ward closed its Richmond location following the retailer's bankruptcy and nationwide store closures in 2001. The property then entered a prolonged period of underuse, retaining only Mechanics Bank and a small number of locally operated businesses. Beginning in 2004, Richmond officials considered a comprehensive redevelopment of the site as part of a broader effort to revitalize Macdonald Avenue and strengthen the city's tax base. The redevelopment was controversial because the city used eminent domain to clear most of the existing center. The former Toys "R" Us building and the Mechanics Bank site were initially excluded from the demolition. A new retail layout was subsequently built around a large central parking area, reversing the older arrangement in which the principal retail structure occupied the center of the site. A Target Greatland-format store was originally proposed, but the plan was reduced to a conventional Target format during a difficult economic period. The Target ultimately relocated from a declining site in nearby El Cerrito. The new store was described as the only LEED-certified Target location and as having an integrated police substation, making the center unusual among shopping destinations in the region. The property has also been connected to local transportation and trail infrastructure. A spur of the Richmond Greenway provides access to the center, while AC Transit routes serve the site directly or nearby, and the center is reachable on foot or by bicycle from the del Norte BART station through the Ohlone and Richmond Greenway trails. Macdonald 80 has hosted community-oriented activities in addition to ordinary retail operations. In 2011, the Richmond Police Department's Police Activities League held its annual Shop With a Cop event at the Target store. Target contributed an additional amount to each participating child's shopping budget and covered the sales tax. The center has also experienced ordinary tenant turnover, including the closure of its Payless ShoeSource location in early 2019. In 2019, two people were shot in the shopping-center parking lot, an incident described in the reference material as the first serious crime at the mall since its post-redevelopment rebuilding. Plans discussed during the redevelopment period included replacing the health-center and former toy-store structures with a Lowe's home-improvement and garden center, alongside relocation of the county health facility, but the available material does not establish that this expansion was completed.
History
Macdonald 80 Shopping Center originated as a 1950s-era shopping center in Richmond, California. At the time of its construction, it was one of the area's principal modern retail destinations, preceding the development of several competing Bay Area shopping centers. The original tenant roster included Montgomery Ward, Toys "R" Us, Imperial Savings, and Taco Bell. These businesses served both everyday neighborhood needs and a wider regional customer base. The original center declined as retail competition intensified and major tenants departed. Imperial Savings left during the early 1990s. Toys "R" Us relocated to the Pinole Vista Shopping Center, while Montgomery Ward closed its Richmond store in 2001 after the department-store chain entered bankruptcy and shut locations across the country. With the loss of its principal anchors, the property became largely underutilized. Mechanics Bank and several small local businesses remained, but the site no longer functioned as a strong regional shopping destination. In 2004, Richmond began considering the site's revival within a broader strategy to renew Macdonald Avenue, described as the city's main commercial corridor. The redevelopment was also expected to generate additional sales-tax revenue and help address municipal fiscal pressures. The city used eminent domain to acquire and clear most of the mall, a measure that made the project politically controversial. The former Toys "R" Us building and Mechanics Bank property were not included in the initial demolition. The replacement center adopted a modern open retail plan organized around central parking and surrounding stores rather than the older enclosed or centrally structured shopping-center model. Target became the principal anchor. Developers had initially contemplated a Target Greatland store, but the proposal was reduced to a regular Target format during a weak economic period. The store was relocated from a deteriorating Target site in El Cerrito. The completed Target was identified as a LEED-certified location and as the only Target with an integrated police substation, according to the reference material. The redevelopment also generated plans for a possible later expansion. Those plans contemplated removing the former health-center and toy-store structures and constructing a Lowe's home-improvement store and garden center. The county health center was expected to move to Doctor's Hospital in San Pablo. The available reference does not confirm that this proposed expansion was completed. Macdonald 80 is integrated into Richmond's transportation network. A spur connects the Richmond Greenway to the center, and AC Transit routes 72M and 800 serve it directly. Routes 7, 72, and 72R stop within approximately one block. The center is also accessible from the del Norte BART station by walking and cycling through the Ohlone and Richmond Greenway trails. The center has hosted community programs as well as commercial activity. In 2011, the Richmond Police Department's Police Activities League organized its annual Shop With a Cop event there, with Target adding to each participating child's budget and covering sales tax. Tenant changes continued in the following years, including the closure of Payless ShoeSource in early 2019. Later in 2019, a shooting in the parking lot injured two people, one critically and one seriously. The incident was characterized in the source material as the first serious crime at the rebuilt center. Macdonald 80 remains documented as a functioning regional shopping center anchored by Target, although detailed current tenant and ownership information is not established by the available sources.
- 2019
Payless ShoeSource closes
[1]The center's Payless ShoeSource location closes early in the year.
- 2019
Parking-lot shooting injures two people
[1]Two people are shot in the center's parking lot, with one reported in critical condition and the other in serious condition.
- 2011
Shop With a Cop program takes place at the center
[1]The Richmond Police Department's Police Activities League holds its annual Shop With a Cop event at the Target store.
- 2004
Richmond begins major redevelopment effort
[1]The city advances plans to redevelop the deteriorated center as part of a Macdonald Avenue revitalization strategy, using eminent domain to clear most of the existing mall.
- 2001
Montgomery Ward location closes
[1]The Montgomery Ward store closes following the retailer's company-wide bankruptcy and store closures, contributing to the center's decline.
- 1990
Major original tenants begin departing
[1]Imperial Savings closes in the early 1990s, and Toys "R" Us later relocates to Pinole Vista Shopping Center.
- 1950
Original shopping center is built
[1]The original Macdonald 80 shopping center is developed in Richmond during the 1950s, with Montgomery Ward, Toys "R" Us, Imperial Savings, and Taco Bell among its early occupants.
Products and positioning
A neighborhood-serving regional shopping center positioned as a revitalized commercial gateway on Richmond's Macdonald Avenue, combining a major Target anchor with convenient automobile, bus, rail, walking, and bicycle access.
Anchor retailer
Target
Target is the principal anchor of the rebuilt Macdonald 80 Shopping Center. The planned Greatland format was reduced to a regular Target store during an economically difficult period. The location was moved from an aging Target site in nearby El Cerrito. Reference material identifies it as a LEED-certified Target and notes that it includes an integrated police substation, giving the store an unusual civic and public-safety role within the shopping center.
Footwear retailer
Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource operated a footwear store at Macdonald 80 before closing the location in early 2019. The closure formed part of the center's tenant turnover and reflected the broader contraction of the Payless store network during the retailer's restructuring period.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011Shop With a Cop
Richmond, California
The Richmond Police Department's Police Activities League held its annual Shop With a Cop event at the center. Participating children received a shopping budget, while Target provided an additional contribution and covered sales tax.
Outcome. The event provided a community-policing activity and additional purchasing support for participating children.
Brand decisions
2004
Redevelopment through eminent domainStrategyBackground
The deteriorated shopping center had lost its major department-store and toy-store anchors and was supporting only a bank and small local businesses. Richmond sought to revive Macdonald Avenue and increase commercial tax revenue.
Action taken
The city used eminent domain to clear most of the existing mall and supported construction of a new shopping center organized around central parking. The former Toys "R" Us and Mechanics Bank sites were initially excluded from demolition.
Aftermath
A rebuilt center anchored by Target was created, although the use of eminent domain was controversial. Proposed later expansion involving a Lowe's store and relocation of the county health center is not confirmed as completed.
- Target anchor format is revisedProduct launch
Background
The redevelopment initially envisioned a larger Target Greatland format, but economic conditions led to a smaller conventional format.
Action taken
The project adopted a regular Target store, relocating Target's nearby El Cerrito operation to the rebuilt center.
Aftermath
Target became the center's principal anchor. The location was noted for LEED certification and an integrated police substation.
Recent events
- 2019
Payless ShoeSource closes its Macdonald 80 location[1]
Other
The Payless ShoeSource store at Macdonald 80 closed in early 2019 amid the retailer's broader store-reduction and restructuring period.
- 2019
Two people shot in Macdonald 80 parking lot[1]
Other
Two people were shot in the shopping-center parking lot. One victim was reported in critical condition and the other in serious condition. The incident was described as the center's first serious crime since its rebuilding.
- 2011
Police Activities League holds Shop With a Cop event[1]
Campaign
The Richmond Police Department's Police Activities League held its annual Shop With a Cop program at the center. Target supplemented each child's shopping budget and covered the sales tax.
- 2004
Richmond redevelops the Macdonald 80 shopping-center site[1]
Other
Richmond pursued a major redevelopment of the deteriorated shopping-center site as part of an effort to revive Macdonald Avenue and increase local sales-tax revenue. The city used eminent domain to clear most of the existing mall, a decision that generated controversy.
Target opens at the rebuilt Macdonald 80 center[1]
Product launch · Other
The rebuilt center received a conventional Target store after an originally proposed Greatland format was scaled back. The store relocated from an aging Target site in nearby El Cerrito and was noted for its LEED certification and integrated police substation.
Sources1 sources
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