Plano gets details of long-awaited overhaul of Shops at Willow Bend mall

Shopping and dining are still primary features of the property.

11:29 AM on Apr 10, 2023 CDT

Redevelopment plans for the 107-acre Shops at Willow Bend mall include an 18-story hotel, a seven-story office building and three five-story buildings with a total of 960 apartments, according to initial plans filed with the city of Plano’s planning department.

About half of the enclosed mall will be torn down, but shopping and dining are still significant parts of the future Willow Bend. About 400,000-square-feet of retail will remain, as well as the three anchor stores — Dillard’s, Macy’s and Neiman Marcus — which have committed to staying in their buildings, said Michael Platt, Centennial’s senior vice president of mixed-use developments.

After the multi-year construction project is completed, much of the retail will face outward and the pieces of the property will be walkable and connected with open spaces, Platt said. Macy’s and Neiman Marcus will still have entrances into the enclosed mall. Dillard’s will be part of a new outdoor shopping center, he said.

The 1.4 million-square-foot, two-level mall, located on the northwest corner of the Dallas North Tollway and West Park Boulevard, was purchased last May by a group of investors led by Dallas-based Centennial with Cawley Partners of Dallas, and New York-based Waterfall Asset Management.

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