For years, it's what brought people to Plano in the first place, but these days, Collin Creek Mall is a ghost town.
Soon, the land where the mall sits could undergo a major makeover.
“I never go in there,” said Janeth Rocha as she walked the mall’s parking lot. It’s the only reason she visits the property, she said.
“It's safe, because it's not a lot of traffic, you know. So that's why I come here and walk every day,” Rocha explained.
JC Penney and Sears are the only anchor stores left.
Dillard's is long gone, and with Macy's shuttering in the spring, the mall is a shadow of its former self.
Jeff Blakely, with Dreien Opportunity Partners, has plans to bring people back.
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“We think it's the most phenomenal 100-acre infill opportunity not only in North Texas, but potentially in the country,” he said.
Blakeley’s property investment firm now owns half the 100 acres the mall sits on.
“Our intent is to acquire the entire asset,” he said.
Renderings in his Dallas office reveal what they plan to do with it, including waterfront restaurants, retail, housing, hotels and offices.
“I think it’s time for the eastern part of Plano to catch up with the rest of the growth in Plano,” Blakely said.
Some may see the mall at the corner of Central Expressway and the President George Bush Turnpike as a relic.
To others, it is a model of reinvention.
“It's the gateway into Plano,” Blakeley said.
Planning for the makeover is in the early stages.
Developers aren't sure what parts of the mall will stay or go.
They expect to have more firm plans for the property by the start of 2018.
