Posted on: September 16, 2024
By Andrew Faulkner, Associate, Architect, and Senior Urban Designer
Over the past 20 years VMWP has worked with communities around the United States to reimagine regional malls and large format retail centers, transforming them into vibrant connected communities, resilient anchors for local economies, and revitalized centers of community. Today the work continues, but with a post-pandemic perspective and an urgency for affordable housing in the midst of a deepening housing crisis.
Today there are over 1,200 Regional and Super-Regional Malls in the United States comprising over 1.1 billion leasable square feet, per the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). While some are thriving, many are just surviving and communities throughout the country have seen revenue from these properties enter a spiral of terminal decline.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, the retail sector faces extraordinary pressures for reinvention and reconfiguration. Even before the pandemic, American consumers were engaging in a profound reorganization of retail shifting from an economy of place to one of e-commerce and delivery that undermined local and regional retail centers.
At the same time, longing for offline community and socialization, people are drawn in increasing numbers to restaurants and outdoor entertainment venues. While these preferences may revert and stabilize somewhat in the upcoming years, it is increasingly clear that the single purpose retail development of previous generations will need careful thought and effort to adapt to our new reality.
Revitalizing or re-envisioning an area around a mall can be a once in a generation opportunity for a community to strengthen its position for the future. Many of these properties enjoy favorable locations and good connectivity in communities where the “highest and best use” is for housing or mixed-use development. However, the path to redevelopment is complex and the strategy a community or public sector entity chooses can determine success or failure and make the difference between a few years or a generational timeline.
VMWP’s Long History of Mall Conversions
Over twenty years ago, VMWP joined a skilled team to assist the suburb of Lakewood, Colorado to rethink their struggling Villa Italia shopping mall. The result of that process, Belmar, was a unique public private partnership that produced a bespoke downtown for Lakewood and was honored with an Urban Land Institute Award of Excellence in 2006. Belmar was notable for a process where the city exercised control of the land and recruited a developer to fulfill the community’s vision. In the years since, VMWP has worked with other cities such as Westminster, Colorado, San Leandro, California, and Gwinnett County Georgia to develop community visions into small-area plans and assisted cities in their negotiations with landowners.
VMWP’s Completed Mall Conversions
- Bayfair Mall / BART Specific Plan, San Leandro, CA – a 80 plus acre Plan including the Mall BART Station site and surrounding retail properties, for the City of San Leandro
- Belmar Redevelopment, Lakewood, CO – a 100 acre Mall in Lakewood Colorado for Continuum Partners. VMWP has been involved in this development for over 15 years.
- Gwinnett Place Mall, Duluth, GA – a 88 plus acre redevelopment of shuttered mall into community-centered equitable vision.
- Milpitas Square, was an entitlement package for a 22 acre 180,000 s.f. retail center into a mixed use pedestrian oriented development including hotel, high-rise tower, and large mixed use retail/housing buildings in a main street configuration for the owners of Milpitas Square, the largest Asian retail center on the west coast.
- Ralston Creek, Arvada, CO – a 15 acre redevelopment of strip shopping center into mixed-use development.
- Stoneridge Mall Framework, Pleasanton, CA – long-range planning and guiding principles for future development of 75 acres in 6 parcels.
- Westlake South, Daly City is a 214 unit mixed-use redevelopment on an outlot site containing a vacant Burlington retail store (55,000 sf) adjoining existing multifamily retail development.
- Westminster Mall Vision Plan, Westminster, CO – a 88 acre mall now being redeveloped for the City of Westminster. VMWP assisted the City on the initial Vision Plan to define the City goals for the redevelopment.
VMWP’s Current Mall Conversions
- Moonlite Center Development, Santa Clara, CA – re-development of an approximately 14.34 acre current strip mall development will be transformed into a vibrant housing complex with approximately 584 dwelling units, over 10,000 sq.ft. of workspace, gym, live work units, and over 40,000 sq.ft. of publicly accessible open space.
VMWP’s planning work is greatly enriched by our expertise in multifamily, LIHTC, and mixed-use development. Simply put, we understand the spatial needs of various typologies in regional submarkets and plan with implementation in mind. We assist cities in their efforts to to get ahead of the private market by articulating a community-influenced vision, aligned to city goals and objectives, that can backstop and support staff and elected officials when assessing future proposals from property owners in the area. Regardless of the final form that the revitalization process takes, VMWP will serve as an extension of city staff, augment their talent and local experience and collaborate with elected decision makers, stakeholders, and the wider community to craft an implementable vision for the mall and surrounding areas. In other words, we will be an invaluable help when the path forward is complicated.
For more information, please visit our website or email, andrew@vmwp.com.
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