Southglenn Mall

Southglenn Mall is a mid-size shopping center located at 6911 South University Boulevard in Centennial, Colorado, at the southwest corner of Arapahoe Road and University Boulevard. The center opened in 1974 and closed in 2006 to make way for the Streets at Southglenn, a mixed use redevelopment project that will open in Spring 2009. Macy's and Sears, two longtime anchor stores, remain as the rest of the mall is razed, and will continue to operate in their current spaces following the rebuild. [http://www.centennialcolorado.com/news/story.asp?id=303]

History

* 1974: $40 million Southglenn Mall opens with anchor stores Sears, The Denver (Denver Dry Goods) and May D&F. Developed by Denver-based Jordan Perlmutter & Co., the same company built Northglenn Mall and Southwest Plaza.
* 1987: May Department Stores purchases Associated Dry Goods, operator of The Denver. May D&F remains at Southglenn while The Denver's building is sold to JC Penney.
* 1988: The mall's first renovation takes place. Asbestos abatement is undertaken at this time.
* 1993: May D&F rebrands as Foley's, following the acquisition of Foley's from Federated in 1988 by parent May Department Stores.
* 1994: Joslins Department Store constructs a $23 million, convert|160000|sqft|m2|sing=on flagship store on the east side of the mall.
* 1996: Southglenn sales slump following the debut of Park Meadows Mall, a Douglas County center with anchors Dillard's, Foley's, Nordstrom, and Joslins.
* 1998: Joslins becomes Dillard's after Joslins parent Mercantile Stores is acquired by Dillard's.
* 1999: Early January 1999, Southglenn Mall is sold to Chicago-based Walton Street Capital.
* 1999: J.C. Penney converts to JC Penney Home Store following the opening of a new JC Penney store at Park Meadows mall.
* 2001: Southglenn undergoes a minor interior renovation. The ceilings in the main corridors are redesigned, and new tiles, lights, and bannisters are installed in an attempt to stave off the exodus of some small and mid-size tenants to newer malls around the area.
* 2002: JC Penney Home Store closes
* 2005: Alberta Development Partners and the City of Centennial announce plan to redevelop the mall into Streets at Southglenn.
* 2005: Following a large snowstorm, Southglenn's west parking lots served as a drop off for tree limbs.
* February 2006: Southglenn Mall and Dillard's close their doors in preparation for redevelopment. Sears and Macy's remain open. Though the Walgreens on the mall's exterior closed, pharmaceutical operations continue uninterrupted from a temporary building on the east side of the mall property until a new permanent structure can be erected. Demolition of the former mall structure will commence mid-June.
* June 15, 2006: groundbreaking for redevelopment at 11 AM local time.
* October 2007: Demolition has been complete for several months. Utility crews are currently in the process of creating infrastructure such as sewers, stormwater control, and water and power lines. Vertical construction on the southwest corner of the site will begin within 30 days, as of October 18th development meeting held by Alberta Development and the City of Centennial on-site.
* July 17, 2008: Best Buy opens

Demolition and redevelopment

Southglenn Mall is entering its twelfth month of demolition. The majority of the former mall structure between Macy's and Sears has been removed with the exception of Macy's current Home Store. The store and surrounding corridors and storefronts will remain until the new, permanent location is constructed on the northwest corner of the site. The mall's concrete building pad has been removed, crushed, and piled for reuse. [http://www.newsouthglenn.com/JJournal.htm] The redeveloped Streets of Southglenn will sport a variety of entertainment and shopping, along with space for business and residential uses.

The new junior anchors will be as follows: Macy's Home Store, Staples, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Best Buy will occupy the northwest corner of the site, and will open in 2008. At that time, the current Macy's Home Store will be closed and demolished to make way for the rest of the construction project. Other anchors include Barnes & Noble, a convert|60000|sqft|m2|sing=on building which will occupy land near the current Sears building, an American Screen Works location with 14 screens, and a Whole Foods Market, which will occupy land formerly owned by Dillards [http://www.albdev.com/the-news/index.aspx?pageID=26&pressID=21] .

Walgreens, which has had a home on the Southglenn site since the opening in 1974 will not be included in the Streets at Southglenn project. Land for a new Walgreens location has been purchased on the north side of Arapahoe Road, next to the post office at the intersection of Arapahoe Road and Vine Street, directly across Arapahoe road from the current Macy's location.

In addition, Bank of the West and Wells Fargo banks will relocate their building on the site. Bank of the West will move to the site occupied by "The Green Building", while Wells Fargo will move slightly northeast of its current location. Alberta Development Partners, the developers of the site, have announced that they will move their headquarters from current Greenwood Village, Colorado site to the new convert|160000|sqft|m2|sing=on office building on the Streets of Southglenn site.

Anticipated Traffic Issues

As the Streets at Southglenn project commences, absolutely no vehicles used by the project will be allowed to use any residential streets in the area, only using state highways 88 and 177 (Arapahoe Road and University Boulevard, respectively). However, during construction, it has been announced that CDOT will reconstruct the intersection of University and Arapahoe. The joint project of the City of Centennial and Douglas County of reconstructing nearby County Line Road will start in the coming months as well. These projects, combined with SEMSWA's reconstruction of various stormwater controls on the north side of Arapahoe Road are expected to tie up east/west traffic in the area as well as north/south traffic on University during the project. Alternate routes are advised.

External links

* [http://www.centennialcolorado.com/ Official city site]
* [http://www.newsouthglenn.com/ Celebrate Southglenn: City of Centennial]
** [http://www.newsouthglenn.com/JJournal.htm Updated journal of events on site]
* [http://www.visitsouthglenn.com/ Official developer site]