The end of Macy’s long run at Corpus Christi’s La Palmera Mall could mark the beginning of a new era for the vacant anchor site.
Corpus Christi City Council is expected to consider the project Tuesday. The proposal would amend the city’s Chapter 380 agreement with Corpus Christi Retail Venture LP, the company that owns La Palmera Mall. A second vote is scheduled for Sept. 15, according to the city’s agenda memo.
The proposed store would replace the former Macy’s site, which city documents say was vacated in April 2026 after years of declining revenue and foot traffic. City staff said the former anchor had become mostly an outlet store and distribution center for regional online orders before it closed.
Macy’s at La Palmera Mall has been a vacant site since April 2026 and not suitable for renovation. (City of Corpus Christi, Texas)
The Corpus Christi store would be part of Dick’s broader shift toward larger, more experiential locations, with proposed Corpus Christi features including a 100,000- to 120,000-square-foot store, an outdoor multi-purpose sports field, a rock-climbing wall, multi-bay golf simulators, batting cages, a collectors’ clubhouse, equipment services, and expanded apparel offerings. The target opening date is fall 2028.
City staff framed the project as a way to keep La Palmera competitive as retail changes. The agenda memo says La Palmera “anticipated that Macy’s would likely vacate” and that staff began working with the mall more than two years ago to find a replacement. Renovating the existing building was not suitable for retailers or mixed-use concepts.
La Palmera would then sell the Macy’s site to Dick’s House of Sport, but first must prepare the pad site, which includes demolition, concourse reconstruction, and some city utility relocation. The mall would also convert part of the former Macy’s first floor into about 14,000 square feet of additional retail space.
La Palmera would sell the Macy’s site to Dick’s House of Sport, but first must prepare the pad site, which includes demolition, concourse reconstruction, and some city utility relocation. (City of Corpus Christi, Texas)
The expected impact is not small. City documents say the new Dick’s House of Sport could more than triple annual visits compared with the current location, from 626,000 to more than 2 million, double revenue from about $20 million to $40 million and increase the employee count from about 72 to 147.
The city’s proposed amendment would extend the existing Chapter 380 agreement by 10 years, from 2035 to 2045, without increasing the original $15 million incentive cap. City documents show $6.5 million of that cap has been paid, leaving about $8.47 million remaining.
The deal would require demolition of the former Macy’s and construction of a minimum 100,000-square-foot building, according to city documents. If La Palmera does not meet its obligations, the current agreement would remain and the amendment would become null and void.
Corpus Christi City Council is considering an amendment that could allow La Palmera Mall’s former Macy’s site to become a $21 million Dick’s House of Sport. (City of Corpus Christi, Texas)
La Palmera has been a long-running redevelopment project for Corpus Christi. Originally known as Padre Staples Mall, the property was built in 1972 and later rebranded as La Palmera after Trademark purchased the property in 2008. City presentation materials say the mall now has more than 100 tenants, between 2,500 and 3,000 employees and more than $70 million reinvested since 2010.
More News
Schools | ‘Sexist’ dress-code fight erupts at Houston-area middle school
Rants | Texas Republican goes off on AI, data centers, immigration and elites
Politics | Ted Cruz, Dan Patrick talk Texas ‘crazies’ before 2026 election
| $9.5M of drugs found in trailer at Texas border crossing
For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here.
This article originally published at The Macy’s era is over: South Texas mall site could rise again as sports mecca.