Major tenant happenings Stratford, Conn. - Entertainment Cinemas, which specializes in retrofitting non-theater facilities in the New England area, will be the newest addition to Stratford Square in Stratford. The 16-screen, 3,500-seat theater will occupy the former site of a Pathmark supermarket when it opens this summer. Entertainment Cinemas will sublease the 49,135 sq. ft. facility from Pathmark for the next 10 years, with options from Conshohocken, Pa.-based Kranzco Realty Trust, which owns and manages the shopping center. Stratford Square features 159,000 sq. ft. of GLA and is anchored by Marshalls. Other tenants include Fashion Bug, Payless ShoeSource and Ponderosa family restaurant.
New developments Plainville, Conn. - Cleveland-based Developers Diversified Realty and Rochester, N.Y.-based Wilmorite Inc. are teaming up to develop Connecticut Commons, a nearly 600,000 sq. ft. power center in Plainville. Phase I opened in fall 1999 with anchors Lowe's, Kmart and Sony Theater. Phase II will feature two additional anchors and is set to open in fall 2000. The $49 million development will house more than 16 stores.
Expansions Dallas - Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc. is developing Stonebriar Centre, a 1.6 million sq. ft. super-regional mall on the north side of SH 121, between Preston Road and the Dallas North Tollway. The site is in the city of Frisco, situated in the southwest corner of Collin County.
The two-level center will feature an NHL-sized ice arena, a food court, an AMC Theatre, a soft play area and a carousel as well as 185 retail shops and sit-down restaurants. Anchors for the center include Nordstrom, Macy's, Foley's, JCPenney and Sears. The center will open Aug. 11, 2000, and plans for a second phase of development are already being considered.
Center openings Chattanooga, Tenn. - The $1.4 million Grove Street Center recently opened in Chattanooga's Westside community. The 18,000 sq. ft. inner-city retail/service complex is anchored by a 7,000 sq. ft. Dollar General Store and an 8,100 sq. ft. grocery to be named. The Dollar General store offers a corporate-sponsored internship program for Westside community residents. The program helps participants move from welfare to work through personal development, education and job training. Grove Street Center is a development of the Westside Community Development Corp., which purchased an existing strip center on the site and built a new center.
Redevelopments Steubenville, Ohio - A $35 million expansion, renovation and modernization project is under way at Fort Steuben Mall in Steubenville, Ohio. Work will include relocating existing anchors JCPenney and Sears and adding a Wal-Mart SuperStore to the tenant mix, which also includes Kaufmann's and Ames. When completed in early 2002, the mall will encompass more than 810,000 sq. ft. of retail space. The first phase is a new 105,000 sq. ft. Sears store with an 11,000 sq. ft. automotive store, both expected to open this fall. The second phase will begin with JCPenney relocating to its new 60,000 sq. ft. store. Following its opening, work will begin on Wal-Mart. Fort Steuben Mall is owned by The Goodman Co., West Palm Beach, Fla.
Redevelopments Palm Springs, Calif. - Work is under way to transform Desert Fashion Plaza into an open-air center in downtown Palm Springs. The new complex, named Desert Walk, is a development of MBK Southern California Ltd., a division of Irvine, Calif.-based MBK Real Estate Ltd. MBK is partnering with the owner of the project, San Diego-based Excel Legacy Corp., and the City of Palm Springs. Tenants will include Saks Fifth Avenue, a two-story multiplex theater, food court, gourmet market, restaurants and various specialty shops. Work on the $64 million redevelopment, which will result in approximately 350,000 sq. ft. of retail space, is expected to begin this summer and be completed in 2001.
Desert Walk is being designed as an extension of the city's famous Palm Canyon Drive, and will be characterized by rugged stone bases and courts, extensive use of landscaping, and soaring rooftops. Outdoor fireplaces, water elements and second-story patios will also adorn the center. The project designer is MCG Architecture, Pasadena, Calif.