Development/Redevelopment

Macy’s is toying with a lofty idea that could create more traffic at its Herald Square store in New York City.  

In reaction to changes that have transpired in the adjoining East Cambridge and Kendall Square neighborhoods since it debuted in 1990, CambridgeSide Galleria outside of Boston is undergoing a $30 million makeover.   Owner New England Development calls it a “repositioning” that will see the “Galleria” tag dropped from the title of the center, one of the first regional enclosed malls erected in an urban setting. It is the centerpiece of a 1.2-million-sq.-ft. mixed-use project that includes office space and a hotel.

The vacated Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, will be filled with retail by a local developer building centers large and small along the Rhode Island border.   The still nameless project makes the fifth center that Johnston, Rhode Island-based Carpionato Group has under development in the area. They range in size from 53,000 sq. ft. of GLA at the Shoppes at Mayfaire in Attleboro to 830,000 sq. ft. at the Stonehill Marketplace power center in Johnston.  

New shopping center development in the Chicago metropolitan area will barely top 1 million sq. ft. in 2017, a nearly 50% plunge from just two years ago, according to Mid-America Real Estate Corporation.   “While new construction is not as robust as previous years, adaptive reuse of existing retail space continues to offer an opportunity for expanding retailers,” said Andy Bulson, the company’s director of suburban tenant representation.   Where new GLA does appear, reveal

Meijer plans to open its smallest urban store yet — but with a twist.   The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based grocer’s newest store will be nearly 30,000 sq. ft., but it won’t feature the Meijer moniker. Instead, the store will go by the name, Bridge Street Market. Construction begins in July, and is expected to be open for business in the early fall of 2018.  

Ikea’s next solar-powered store is in the works.   The home furnishings giant’s future Jacksonville, Florida store, slated to open in the fall, will be the newest location to feature a solar power system. Panel installation will begin this summer, and is expected to be complete by early fall. This will be Ikea’s fifth solar array in the state of Florida, according to the retailer.  

GBT Realty purchased 11.7 acres of land in Kemah, Texas, with plans to build a 79,000-sq.-ft. shopping center, reported mySA, a San Antonio news site. Purchase price was $2.1 million.   According to GBT, the center is 92% leased. Committed tenants include Petco, Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, and Ulta.    Located south of Houston on Trinity Bay, Kemah has just 2,000 residents, but draws tourists with a boardwalk and entertainment district containing carnival rides, restaurants, and shops.