The new Collin Creek will be comprise of 1.3 million square feet of office space, 35,000 square feet of restaurants and retail storefront, and 3,000 single-family, multi-family, and independent living residences, surrounded by eight acres of city parks and 1.6 miles of walking and running trails.
Additional reporting by Alyssa High
The City is in its redevelopment era, we’ve been hearing for the last few years. Poised as an exemplar of said era, the Collin Creek Mall redevelopment was celebrated by City Council, developers, the Chamber of Commerce and those with fond memories of the once-filled shopping center.
Opened in 1981, Collin Creek Mall was a staple destination for Plano residents throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s. Those who grew up in the area during that time remember back-to-school shopping at retailers like Sears and Sanger Harris, or grabbing a slice from Sbarro in the food court. Beyond the surface, it served as a symbol of growth and progress as our young community came of age. In 2019, however, Collin Creek Mall shuttered as newer destinations like the Shops at Legacy and Watters Creek drew crowds and tenants away.
Plano City Council approved a multi-year billion-dollar plan from Farmers Branch-based Centurion American Development Group that same year. Following COVID-era delays, ground was broken at the 100-acre site bound by Plano Parkway, 15th Street, Alma Road and I-75, in 2021.
“Collin Creek will provide one of the premier mixed-use redevelopments in North Texas, right at the Southern gateway to our city,” said Plano Mayor John Muns on the day.
Photo courtesy of CenturionAmerican..
Upon completion, the new Collin Creek will be comprise of 1.3 million square feet of office space, 35,000 square feet of restaurants and retail storefront, and 3,000 single-family, multi-family, and independent living residences, surrounded by eight acres of city parks and 1.6 miles of walking and running trails.
Yet, development is slow to appear. Five years after beginning, all to be found is a near-complete single-family community. A total of 500 single-family homes are set to be completed; 400 lots have been delivered to builder partners as of February. The remaining lots are projected to be delivered by March 31.
Centurion American has partnered with three homebuilders including Ashton Woods, DRB Homes and Mattamy Homes. Each builder is offering brownstone-style townhomes of two or three stories with attached garages. Homes which range from 1,500–2,400 square feet, are currently priced at about $470,000.
“The developers promised the surrounding businesses that the mall would be opened early last year … but I’ve seen zero progress on the malls and only building on the residential,” one Facebook commenter noted. “Maybe they planned to use funding from renting out those homes to pay for the mall development. Seems like nothing is as promised and it looks like trash from both sides. The businesses on the 75 side and the homes on the Alma side.”
Errors in initial floodplain modeling led to a multi-year delay in drainage construction. While construction on the residential part of the plan began in 2023, an analysis of the drainage in the area was approved just last June.
A 1,976-space parking garage was finished last March. According to the City, a trail connecting 15th Street and the Collin Creek mall site known as the Chisholm Trail Extension is estimated to be completed this summer.
With parking, streets, parks and vertical construction for retail and mixed-use buildings set to be already completed or near completion by now, progress still seems slow yet.
Some residents note that much of the work needing to be done, including the parking garage and drainage, is underground and therefore not likely to be visible. Others say the project is comparable to North Dallas’ Valley View Mall redevelopment project, also known for the near-decade it has been since the mall emptied, full of promises to eventually redevelop.
Still, projects like this are often slow. Plans for Legacy West began in 2013, and the shopping center opened in 2017. Granite Park opened its first tower in 1998 and is still developing, with the sixth tower opening in 2023 and another “coming soon.”
No timelines have been announced for vertical retail or office construction. Until that changes, Collin Creek’s redevelopment remains largely residential, leaving nearby businesses and residents waiting for the commercial center originally promised.
Photo courtesy of CenturionAmerican..