Onetime Plano Mall to Start Transformation

Like many malls, the Shops at Willow Bend had become obsolete. Now, the Plano City Council has agreed to let Centennial, the new mall owner, start knocking things down to make way for a new experience that will include more than just shopping. The company has a green light to demolish more than a third of the suburban mall and build a development with apartments, townhomes, retail, a hotel, office and restaurant space.

Centennial will rename the development The Bend and plans to include 800,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space, up to 965 residential units, a high-rise hotel and a seven-story office building.

The Dallas News reports that despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent by previous owners, the mall never attracted enough shoppers and stores. If financing is secured, demolition could begin later this year. Construction will take place over three years, likely finishing in 2028.