Collin Creek Mall

Collin Creek Mall was a regional shopping mall in Plano, Texas. The two-level, 1.1 e6sqft structure was built in 1981 and was located on the western side of North Central Expressway (US 75) near President George Bush Turnpike. The mall's name was a combination of Collin County and Spring Creek, the latter of which it was built on top of.

In 2019, following years of decline, competition from newer malls, and several ownership changes, the mall was closed for redevelopment. The structure has since been partially demolished, with the former atrium and wings set to be used as part of a $1 billion mixed-use development.

History
Collin Creek Mall was built by Federated Stores Realty, the real-estate arm of department store chain Federated Department Stores, as a regional mall that would serve Collin County communities along North Central Expressway. Construction included the installation of three 2400 ft culverts that carried Spring Creek under the structure. The mall opened on July 29, 1981.

At opening, the mall's center court included a 300 ft indoor creek with a waterfall, fountains, and shrubbery. Surrounding the creek was The Village Walk, an 18000 sqft section of smaller, locally-owned shops, as well as The Patio, a food court. The center court was remodeled in 1992, which removed the Village Walk, replaced the creek with a smaller fountain, and renamed the food court to The Terrace.

In 1995, real estate firm The Rouse Company purchased a 30% stake in the mall and took over mall management. Rouse assumed full ownership of the mall in 2002. In 2008, the mall underwent a renovation.

In 2011, General Growth Properties (which had acquired The Rouse Company in 2004) spun off 30 underperforming properties, including Collin Creek, into a new company, Rouse Properties. The mall's underperformance was attributed to competition with newer shopping centers such as Stonebriar Centre. In 2012, the city of Plano offered Collin Creek a $600,000 grant for renovations.

In 2014, Rouse designated Collin Creek as a "special consideration asset", which signaled that the mall might be foreclosed. A report by analysis firm Trepp stated the mall had not made a profit since 2011. The following year, the mall was sold to its lender, Midland Loan Services (a division of PNC Financial Services) for $57.6 million.

In 2018, the mall property was sold to developer Centurion American, which planned to substantially redevelop the mall into a mixed-use development. The mall held a farewell celebration on July 26, 2019, and it closed on July 31.

Sears
A Sears department store and accompanying Sears Auto Center opened with the mall on July 29, 1981.

In December 2018, following a bankruptcy filing, Sears Holdings announced the sale of 505 locations, including the Collin Creek Mall location. The store was purchased by mall owner Centurion American and closed in March 2019 to allow for redevelopment.

Dillard's
A Dillard's department store opened with the mall on July 29, 1981. The store was the third Dillard's to be built in the area, following those at Valley View Center and Richardson Square Mall.

On October 7, 2013, Dillard's announced that its Collin Creek location would close by January 2014. The store never reopened and was demolished as part of the mall's redevelopment.

Lord & Taylor/Mervyn's/Amazing Jake's
Lord & Taylor opened on October 5, 1981, several months after the rest of the mall. The store was the third Lord & Taylor to open in the Dallas area.

In April 1990, Mervyn's purchased the store for an undisclosed sum, intending it as a larger replacement for its existing Plano store. The store was closed for renovation and re-opened in October. The store was closed in 2006 when Mervyn's exited the North Texas area.

In December 2007, Collin Creek management announced the beginning of construction for Amazing Jake's Food and Fun, a family entertainment center and buffet restaurant, in the former Mervyn's space. Amazing Jake's opened on July 11, 2008. The center closed on April 1, 2019 in anticipation of the mall's closure.

JCPenney
While JCPenney was announced as an anchor tenant at the mall's opening, the store itself did not open until July 29, 1983. The store was a prototype for a major repositioning by JCPenney, which moved the chain's focus to contemporary fashion, leisure, and home furnishings.

JCPenney did not close with the mall, as it owned the land under the store. Initial plans for the site's redevelopment included a new store for the chain. However, on August 18, 2020, shortly after JCPenney filed for bankruptcy protection, it was announced that the store would close by November 2020. The 10.6-acre site was sold to Centurion American, the company heading the mall's redevelopment, for $15 million.

Sanger–Harris/Foley's/Macy's
The mall's southernmost anchor was opened as a Sanger–Harris department store on October 20, 1980, ten months prior to the mall itself opening. The store was converted to a Foley's in 1987 when the two chains were merged. On September 9, 2006, the store was converted to a Macy's as part of a nationwide rebranding initiative by owner Federated Department Stores. The store closed on March 31, 2017.

Like most Sanger–Harris locations, entrances to the store were marked with four-story marble columns and an abstract tile mosaic. Initial plans for the mall's redevelopment called for the mosaics to be preserved, but this was abandoned when it was discovered that they contained asbestos.

Redevelopment


In early 2018, developer Sam Ware of Dreien Partners (who had previously developed the Legacy West project in northwest Plano) announced a $1 billion plan to revitalize the site. The plan would remove a significant portion of the mall's northern wing and replace much of its parking lot with office space, residences, restaurants, and green space. It would also add a synthetic river (loosely following Spring Creek, which the mall's parking lot was built on top of), which would be lined with retail space, similar to the San Antonio River Walk. The city of Plano, which was involved in the project, intended to promote the site as a potential location for Amazon HQ2. However, the plan fell through due to a conflict between Dreien and its lender which caused the company's purchase agreements to expire.

Later that year, the property was acquired by Centurion American Development Group. Centurion American offered a similar redevelopment proposal, which consisted of a residential district, two office buildings, a hotel, a concert venue, an underground parking garage, and several restaurants. Unlike Dreien's proposal, Centurion American's would preserve both wings of the mall, but it did not include a water feature. The mall was closed in July 2019 to allow for construction.

A groundbreaking for the new development was held on September 24, 2021. The development included a municipal project to install a sanitary sewer and to reinforce the culverts carrying Spring Creek. , the project's infrastructure is complete, two apartment buildings have started construction, and single-family residences are expected to be available by the end of the year.