Plano City Council approved a request to rescind a number of specific-use permits for the property during its Feb. 12 meeting. With zoning hurdles out the way, Dallas-based real estate company Centennial is expected to spend the rest of the year developing schematics and obtaining permits to redevelop The Shops at Willow Bend.
What’s happening?
According to plans shared by the city, up to 530,000 square feet of the current mall is likely to be demolished to make way for new residential, office and green space. About 400,000 square feet of the existing mall currently anchored around Macy’s, Dillard’s, and Neiman Marcus; restaurants within The District; two smaller retail sites; and three parking structures are expected to remain.
“This is a project we’re trying to maintain in as much of its present form as we can,” Centennial CEO Steve Levin said.
Mid-rise residential, a hotel, office uses, independent living and open space will all be allowed uses in the redevelopment, per city documents. Michael Platt, Centennial executive vice president of mixed-use development, said the mall will also get fresh branding as The Bend, which pays homage to the history of Willow Bend, but freshens up the development.
The details
The future vision for The Shops at Willow Bend is a mixed-use development, Centennial CEO Steven Levin said. By adding more uses, it will help provide traffic all days of the week, instead of the current three-day per week traffic, he added.
When development completes, it is slated to include:
- A maximum of 965 multifamily units and a maximum of 40 townhome-like units
- A minimum of 10 acres of open space, 7 acres of which must be accessible to the public
- One seven-story office building
- One 18-story hotel
- Several one- to two-story retail buildings
The city’s planning and zoning commission previously recommended approval of the project during its Jan.16 meeting.
What they’re saying
“It will compete with Legacy West and the Shops at Legacy; it’s also competing with The Star in Frisco and Watters Creek,” Council member Rick Horne said. “We need to have those tax dollars. Our friends going up to The Star and Watters Creek, I want them to live here and spend here in Plano.”
“Without this development, we won’t be able to stay,” Knife owner George Stergios added. “We need to make this happen.”
What’s next?
Construction for the redevelopment will likely begin in early 2025, according to a timeline previously shared during the planning and zoning meeting. The remainder of the year will be used to get building permits and finalize schematics for the reimagined mall.
Once redevelopment is underway, it is expected that the first phase will be complete by mid-2027. Director of Planning Christina Day said the project’s site plan would still need approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“It has the potential to be one of the most dynamic, community-based restaurant, retail [and] shopping destinations in Dallas Fort-Worth,” Levin said.
