Landscaping and other work is continuing at Castro Village.

Over a million dollars has been invested in upgrades to the  Castro Village Shopping center so far with another $3 million of additional improvements to be added within the next two years.

“What this is all about is an effort to keep the shoppers here in the valley,” explained Randy Nahas, the son of Robert Nahas, who developed and opened the shopping center in 1949 with the help of businessman Arnold Anderson.

The facelift project, which extends from Eden Bicycles to Ross, includes new facades, sidewalks, planters and parking enhancements. The entryways on Castro Valley Boulevard have also been refined and updated.

Walgreens improvements included installation of a drive-through for the pharmacy, facade refurbishing and additional landscaping

Next up for the center will be a replacement of the iconic blue “Village” sign near Starbucks and the removal of three homes on Jamison that could make way for another retail opportunity at the rear of the shopping center.

Nahas predicted the car wash and former gas station area would make way for a new business and he expects a freestanding restaurant or bank to perhaps occupy the area.

Meanwhile, sales are looking up among merchants at the Village and Nahas hopes receipts continue to show good numbers. “People like the improvements and we made a point to not taking too much of the old away...we still have the old flavor here.”