Centurion American brought a series of zoning and design changes to the council and received approval for all of its requests Jan. 11.
This approval changes the land use on the property along Alma Drive from a big-box store or superstore. Developers will repurpose that area, where a future JCPenney building had originally been planned, to build 98 townhouses. These townhouses will follow the Chisolm Trail being built on the development. Centurion purchased the JCPenney store on the Collin Creek Mall property in August.
Additional changes include the removal of a planned hotel from the entry of the development to create a main street with a pedestrian open-air deck. This deck is expected to include restaurants and other businesses.
These design changes will create a more pedestrian-friendly space in the center of the development, a Jan. 12 release from Centurion American said. The changes also create a view of the development from US 75, developers shared at an earlier Plano Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
“With the acquisition of the JCPenney parcel, we worked with our architects, consultants and our partners at the City of Plano to amend this portion of Collin Creek’s zoning,” Vice President of Development Rob Romo said in the release. “There are often changes in major mixed-use developments as projects evolve and aligning a design and use that ultimately fits the scope of the project was our goal.”
The approved request also included the addition of a car wash, an arcade, an artisan's workshop, a food truck and business service uses to areas of the property, as well as approval for possible hotel use on a portion of land if the hotel market rebounds.
Centurion American was also approved to build up to 300 independent-living units for seniors as well as up to 2,300 multifamily units. Centurion may increase the number of senior living units beyond 300 if the combined total of multifamily and independent units does not exceed 2,600, according to city documents. The units can float between land blocks on the property as needed, city staff shared.
At the same meeting, Plano council members approved the calling of two public hearings to create public improvement districts on the west and east portions of Collin Creek Mall. The creation of these districts will be discussed at public hearings at a Feb. 8 City Council meeting, city documentation said. These districts allow for property owners to plan and put in place a sustainable funding source to pay for a set of services to improve their area, according to the Texas Local Government Code.
The demolition of the original Collin Creek Mall has been underway since the start of the redevelopment project in 2019. The first phase of the project, which includes new apartment buildings, restaurants and underground parking, is expected to open in 2022.
Once complete, the property will be transformed into a $1 billion mixed-use destination with up to 3,100 new residential units and a series of new office, restaurant and hotel buildings.
