\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRichardson Square Mall\u2019s renovation is \u201cfull steam ahead\u201d this year, a transformation that will turn the mall into an \u201centertainment zone,\u201d Project Manager Patrick Garza said. Components are expected to open by this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201dWe have seen the traditional [mall] model\u2014[it\u2019s] too old,\u201d said David Vu Tran, developer with VM Holdings, the company that owns the property. \u201cOur shoppers get tired; we need to bring a new model, that international model that\u2019s more exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The big picture<\/p>\n
The multimillion renovation of Richardson Square Mall was originally announced in 2024, almost two decades after the mall closed in 2006. Components of the new mall are expected to open by this fall.<\/p>\n
Tran said he wanted to update the traditional mall model, offering a range of experiences and a modern look with outdoor corridors linking the mall\u2019s buildings. Tran said he hopes the environment will encourage people to hang out at the mall rather than just shop and leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about buying stuff anymore,\u201d Tran said. \u201cYou go to a place you enjoy, that is something you cannot buy online.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tran sees the project as more than just one mall\u2019s renovation\u2014he said Richardson will be his launching pad for a nationwide model of malls that could have 200 locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to build not just a business but a legacy,\u201d Tran said.<\/p>\n
A closer look<\/p>\n
The mall will be built around a food hall created by Garza\u2019s company National Food Hall Solutions, alongside the first U.S. location of Japanese grocery store Aeon and additional restaurants and retail spots.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think the marriage between the grocery store aspect and the food hall aspect, there\u2019s some magic there,\u201d Garza said.<\/p>\n
Tran said Aeon will provide an experience for shoppers based around the discovery of new items, rather than just \u201cgoing to the store to buy a product.\u201d<\/p>\n
City Manager Don Magner said the city encouraged Tran to make the mall a \u201ctrue international destination\u201d providing food, entertainment and retail from all around the world.<\/p>\n
Garza said the mall will be an \u201call-day experience.\u201d The food hall is in the early planning stages, Garza said, and he was not able to disclose specific restaurants, but it will likely have around 10 stalls with a variety of options.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going to have an awesome gourmet burger place. We\u2019re going to have a taco stand,\u201d Garza said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have the Asian cuisine to mirror the community. We\u2019re going to have a nice blend that pulls in all audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garza said the focal point of the food hall will be a bar with space to host regular events, from live music to fundraisers that partner with local schools and community organizations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be like the heartbeat of the community,\u201d Garza said. \u201cMost food halls and projects like this bring community together, and that\u2019s what we want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zooming out<\/p>\n
Tran said he wants to use the mall to bring traffic not only to the shopping center but to all of Richardson.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople were looking for this revitalization,\u201d Garza said. \u201cWe think we could do something really special with it and bring it back to its glory days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Magner said there is demand for more retail and sit-down restaurants in the southeast area of Richardson, and the revitalized mall could be a \u201ccatalyst\u201d for others to invest in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be by far the largest revitalization project of a commercial site that we\u2019ve seen in that part of town,\u201d Magner said. \u201cIt\u2019s a real proof of concept that when a project is developed thoughtfully, when a diverse set of uses are brought together that are complementary, then that market will support that project.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tran said the mall\u2019s position as the launching pad for his planned malls around the country could bring Richardson nationwide recognition.<\/p>\n
What’s next<\/p>\n
Garza said the January winter storm created some delays in construction, and it will take a few months to finish the outside of the structure, followed by interior work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to get something out late summer [or] early fall, at least some of the components,\u201d Garza said. \u201cYou\u2019ll see a lot of movement here over the next couple of months.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richardson Square Mall\u2019s renovation is \u201cfull steam ahead\u201d this year, a transformation that will turn the mall into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":200044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[78937,1494,110,27015,160,162,161,354,952,959,78936],"class_list":["post-200043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-aeon","tag-construction","tag-development","tag-food-hall","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news","tag-restaurants","tag-retail","tag-richardson","tag-richardson-square-mall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}