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COVER STORY, JANUARY 2006
DIFFERENT BY DESIGN
Making a retail project different from the next one is no easy task, but developers in the Midwest show that a little creativity goes a long way.
Lara Fuller
These days, it takes more than just great shops and good restaurants to set a retail development apart from the rest. The newest developments in the Midwest feature everything from bocce ball courts to water ponds and fountains. Heartland Real Estate Business takes a closer look at four of the newest retail developments in the Midwest to see just how developers are making their projects stand out from the retail crowd.
The Mall at Partridge Creek
Clinton Township, Michigan
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Taubman Centers of Bloomfield, Michigan, is developing the 600,000-square-foot Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township, Michigan.
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Macomb County, Michigan, is a fast-growing area, with new retail and residential developments popping up everywhere. However, though there has been much growth, the county is still lacking in certain areas. “The northeast Detroit metro market is presently underserved when it comes to fashion retail,” says John Eggert, development manager with Bloomfield, Michigan-based Taubman Centers. Taubman Centers is currently creating The Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township, which will help fill that need. The 600,000-square-foot center will be anchored by a 129,000-square-foot Nordstrom, 120,000-square-foot Parisian and 14-screen movie theater complex by MJR Theatres. In addition to the anchors, the center will feature several sit-down restaurants and more than 90 specialty retailers. “The decision by [these companies] to anchor the project affords us the opportunity to select a complementary assortment of fashion retailers and restaurants that will allow for the creation of a first-class center catering to the needs of the surrounding communities,” Eggert says. In addition to the much-needed fashion retailers, the project is also unique in other ways. “We will offer fashion retail along with dining and entertainment in an intimate, customer-friendly environment containing numerous shopper amenities.” Some of the amenities include two bocce ball courts, a children's play area, outdoor flat screen TVs for public viewing and a large stone fireplace that will serve as a central gathering area. The $155 million project is being designed by Communication Arts and Hobbs + Black, and Skanska USA is the general contractor. Construction began in November 2005 with completion scheduled for October 2007.
“This project will be successful because, in short, it is the right project in the right place at the right time,” Eggert says. “We are creating a unique collection of anchors, specialty fashion retailers and restaurants in a customer-friendly environment that will meet the shopping, dining and entertainment needs of the local market.”
Timbers at Boston Mills
Boston Heights, Ohio
Both local and national retailers and destination-oriented retailers will be able to find a market at Timbers at Boston Mills. The 40,000-square-foot project, located in Boston Heights, a part of the greater Cleveland area, will sit at the intersection of State Route 8 and the Ohio Turnpike, offering direct access and great visibility. In addition to retail space, the 50-acre development will feature office space, free-standing owner-occupied retail, such as the newly-opened Liberty Harley Davidson Dealership, and hotels.
“The proposed project tenant/user mix will provide local and regional drawing power in an environment with aspects of a lifestyle center, but at a price point that provides national retailers with an attractive value proposition,” says Greg Baka, partner with Pride One/Omni Real Estate Companies in Pepper Pike, Ohio, developer of the project.
Timbers at Boston Mills will have office space located on-site. The proximity to a range of stores, restaurants and entertainment will be a draw not only for shoppers, but for businesses looking for office space as well.
Sites for the first phase of the more than $200 million project are currently being purchased or leased and the second phase will get underway this spring. Completion of the entire project is scheduled for 2007. Dorsky Hodgson Architects in Cleveland is developing the design plans.
“The mixed-use nature of the project provides for an entertainment-oriented shopping experience, as well as a high quality/high amenity working environment for the traditional office space user with incredible access to the Northeast Ohio Interstate system,” Baka says. “This will be a fun place to work or play.”
The Streets of Rockford
Rockford, Illinois
The Streets of Rockford, located at the intersection of Perryville and Rote roads in Rockford, is one-of-a-kind, in part because it will house retailers that are not present within a 40-mile radius. Though many of the tenants are not yet known, the development will feature a mix of upscale clothing stores and boutiques, home goods stores, sporting goods retailers and restaurants. Rockford is lacking in high-end retailers, though the demographics show an ability to support those stores. “The location is in the heart of upscale subdivisions and is very accessible to a shopping population of more than 700,000 that shop in the Rockford market,” say Bharat Puri and Pankaj Mahajan, both vice presidents with First Rockford Group Inc., developer of the project. “The Rockford housing market is affordable, and that results in a much higher disposable income for the people that shop here.”
In addition to retail and restaurants, the $50 million development will feature water ponds, fountains, extra-wide granite in-lay sidewalks, benches, parkways and ornamental street lighting, designed by McClellan and Blakemore, a local architect. The first phase of The Streets of Rockford will consist of approximately 60,000 square feet on 10 acres. When completed, the total project will include 300,000 square feet of space.
“The proximity to the Chicago suburbs has discouraged high-end retailers to locate in the Rockford market,” Puri says. “After the project is open, the Rockford market will be considered a great shopping destination not only for discounters by also for high-end retailers.”
The Galleria at Naperville Crossing
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville Crossings will be an 80-acre mixed-use development located in Naperville. Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois-based Mid-America Development Partners is developing the retail portion of the project, known as The Galleria at Naperville Crossings, which will be located at 95th Street and Illinois Highway 59.
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Mid-America Development Partners is developing The Galleria at Naperville Crossings in Naperville, Illinois.
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The Galleria at Naperville Crossings is such a unique project because there is nothing like it in the area. “This will be the first lifestyle center development on the south end of the Route 59 corridor in Naperville,” says David Bossy, president of Mid-America Development Partners. “In addition, it is being created as part of a larger mixed-use concept that will include both residential condominiums and medical office space.”
The development of the project came about because the city recognized the need for a large mixed-use center for the residents of Naperville. “The city of Naperville approved a multi-use concept for an 80-acre parcel on the city's South Side,” Bossy says. “We were given the opportunity to develop the retail portion of the site, which totals 33 acres.”
When complete, the retail portion of the Galleria at Naperville Crossings will feature 230,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and a 60,000-square-foot movie theater complex. Development on the $62 million project is currently underway, with initial occupancies scheduled for the spring. HKM Architects & Planners of Arlington Heights, Illinois, is the project architect and Weis Builders of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, is the general contractor.
“We believe that Naperville Crossing will be able to compete successfully with downtown Naperville, in part because it will also serve the rapidly expanding Plainfield area to the south,” Bossy says.
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