The Commons at Calabasas opened in 1998 with a movie theater, and for 27 years that theater set the center's evening hours. It showed its last film on December 28, 2025. Caruso's replacement plan adds roughly 27,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, a landscaped paseo and 80 apartments.
The Commons is being rebuilt around dinner and the people who will live above it. A night at the movies used to anchor the place. That shift is already visible in this fall's tenant mix. And while the new buildings are still fenced, the openings people talk about are landing on both sides of Calabasas Road, not only inside the center.
The screen went dark first
The Acorn reported the closure as the end of the last movie theater in the region between Thousand Oaks and Woodland Hills, and south all the way to Santa Monica. The paper reported that the Regency Calabasas was being torn down to make way for the redevelopment.
Caruso's own project FAQ explains the reasoning plainly:
"A movie theater made a lot of sense when The Commons opened in 1998, before the advent of streaming services... a movie theater at The Commons is no longer a sustainable use."
The Calabasas City Council unanimously approved the plan in December 2023, after what Caruso describes as two years of meetings with residents and neighbors. Those two years produced a plan that puts restaurants with outdoor dining and a family-friendly green space where the dark auditoriums used to be.
What the build adds, and in what order
Construction began in January 2026. Caruso says the new shops and restaurants open first, about midway through the project. The apartment building follows in Fall 2027.
The most recent construction look-ahead on the Commons site covers July through September 2026. It describes the restaurant and retail buildings as "well underway," with some spaces being handed to new tenants for their build-outs. The parking structure for the apartments was also well underway during that window.
The order matters for anyone who lives nearby. Tenant build-outs come after the shell work, so the restaurant spaces are now in the hands of the operators who will run them. The Calabasas Courier reported on October 16 that the work at The Commons will bring at least four new restaurants. The story didn't name them.
When the build is finished, Caruso describes a "meandering paseo with wide sidewalks and beautiful landscaping" running through curated shops and restaurants with outdoor dining. A paseo like that is designed for staying a while, and 80 households upstairs give the restaurants a built-in weeknight crowd that a theater never needed.
The directory, as it stands this fall
The current Commons directory already leans toward food and daily errands. Here is how the newer and changing names stand, based on the center's own listings.
| Tenant | Directory space | Status this fall |
|---|---|---|
| Cheesesteaks by Matū | K-4 | Open, listed in the directory |
| HiHo Cheeseburger | K-4 | Open |
| Rivian | B-4 | Listed as "Now Open" |
| Design Within Reach | E-1 | "Coming Soon," no date posted |
| Marmalade Cafe | 4783 Commons Way | Closed August 2026 |
| Former Regency Calabasas theater | Redevelopment site | Closed December 28, 2025 |
Cheesesteaks by Matū shares the K-4 space with HiHo Cheeseburger on the directory. Its Calabasas page lists the address as 4799 Commons Way, Suite I. The Commons' Rivian page carries the "Now Open" label, and Design Within Reach is still marked coming soon.
The longtime dining anchors are all still on the list: King's Fish House, BLVD Steak, Toscanova, SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa, KazuNori, Porta Via Calabasas, Superba Food + Bread and La La Land Cafe. Bacio di Latte, Crumbl and See's Candies cover dessert, with Ralphs and Barnes & Noble still on site.
Marmalade's exit, and the move across the road
The biggest change inside The Commons this year has been a departure. Marmalade Cafe at 4783 Commons Way closed in August after 28 years. WhatNow Los Angeles reported a last dinner on Sunday, August 2. Eater LA's August closings roundup listed August 31. The closure announcement gave no reason. According to WhatNow, the restaurant began as a full-service cafe in Malibu, and its Westlake Village, Malibu, Sherman Oaks and El Segundo locations stay open. Westlake Village is the closest for a familiar brunch.
Across Calabasas Road, Jon & Vinny's opened on July 27 at 23538 Calabasas Road, across from Sagebrush Cantina, according to the Conejo Valley Guide. The guide describes the menu as California-Italian comfort food with handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas and produce-driven dishes, served in a casual, diner-style room. The restaurant's Calabasas page lists current hours.
The Calabasas Courier noted that Jon & Vinny's already had locations in Brentwood, Beverly Hills and Studio City. By its October story, the Calabasas location was already drawing students. Brentwood readers may know the original from San Vicente, which we covered in our look at where Brentwood is eating.
The same Courier story reported that the Courtyard shopping center across from The Commons is adding Alfred Coffee. The story gave no address or opening date.
Taken together, the Calabasas Road corridor is filling in on both sides. A dinner at Jon & Vinny's, coffee at the Courtyard once Alfred opens, and a walk over to Bacio di Latte now count as one outing, even though the street splits it across separate properties.
Getting in and parking during the build
Caruso says The Commons stays open through every phase of construction, with stores, restaurants and amenities running as usual. A few details make weekend visits easier:
- Valet runs Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., near SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa and Polacheck's Jewelers.
- Surface parking close to the stores stays in place during construction. Caruso says it will keep the community updated as the work moves along.
- The drive aisle between the two new buildings is planned to change in part from two-way to one-way traffic. No date for that change has been posted.
- Work hours are scheduled before peak hours or outside operating hours where possible. Early-morning coffee runs may come with more construction noise than a 7 p.m. dinner.
Caruso has also said that the finished project will add parking for both the new residents and visitors.
The rest of the Calabasas calendar through December
The new paseo won't be ready for this holiday season. The City of Calabasas has its own programming over the next six weeks, at venues outside the construction zone:
- Children's Halloween Story Time, Friday, October 30 at 10 a.m. in the Amphitheater. The city's e-news says all ages are welcome.
- Las Virgenes Creek Cleanup, Saturday, November 14 at 9 a.m. Volunteers meet at 26520 Agoura Road, across from Albertson's.
- Santa Paws Photobooth, Sunday, December 6 at Wild Walnut Park, 23050 Mulholland Highway. The city says more details are coming.
- Breakfast with The Grinch & Cindy Lou, Saturday, December 12 at the Calabasas Community Center.
The city's special events page is the place to check for times and registration. For a sense of how the city schedules its other shared amenities, our post on Calabasas Lake's open dates covers the summer side of the calendar. More on the area is in our Calabasas neighborhood guide.
Homes within walking distance of The Commons will soon sit next to a paseo with apartments, outdoor dining and a new crop of restaurants. If you own near Calabasas Road and want to know how that changes your home's story for buyers, Tom Dolezel can walk you through it. Request Your Home Valuation and we'll start with what's happening on your block.
