From Gaming to Gourmet: 7 Dynamic Developments Underway Across the U.S.

Petersburg, Virginia: It’s all about entertainment and experiences these days, and casinos deliver. The Cordish Cos. and Bruce Smith Enterprise will co-develop a $1.4 billion Live Gaming & Entertainment District. The project will feature 35,000 square feet of meeting and convention space; a 200-room hotel; 1,600 slot machines; 46 gaming tables; a sportsbook; a 3,000-seat entertainment venue; eight food-and-entertainment options; and surface parking. The project requires approval from the Virginia General Assembly, the governor and Petersburg residents in a referendum this November. The initial phase of the casino will open within a year of voter approval. The Petersburg ownership team has 50% minority equity participation, and the developers say it’s the first gaming and entertainment joint venture to include a minority-owned enterprise as a co-developer.

The Live brand is expanding elsewhere, as well. Cordish’s 73,000-square-foot Live project, which will open this fall at Brixmor’s Pointe Orlando, will include including 37,000 square feet of exterior gathering space. Houndsmen English Lounge, a 4,800-square-foot upscale cocktail lounge, and Shark Bar, a 4,600-square-foot indoor/outdoor bar, will join previously announced anchors: the two-level, 11,700-square-foot Sports & Social and the 8,400-square-foot PBR Cowboy Bar.

Baltimore: Historic industrial buildings make compelling targets for urban renewal. The 135-year-old former Heinz Riverside Abattoir in Federal Hill will become a $12 million, 35,000-square-foot retail center and community gathering space called Riverside. The building started as a slaughterhouse, and then the Wilhide family, which owns it now, operated a window treatments and upholstery factory there. The family is working with developer Urban Pastoral on the redevelopment, for which Lee & Associates will handle leasing. Federal and state historic tax credits will help finance the project. Targeted tenants will include gyms, dance studios, local restaurants, bakeries, coffee roasters, studio spaces, boutique fitness concepts and full-service restaurants.

San Diego: The loss of a major department store like Nordstrom can’t keep a prime shopping center down. Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is converting the former Nordstrom and adjacent shops at Westfield UTC into an open-air luxury district for upscale retailers and chef-led restaurants. Work on the project began in April, and a phased opening will kick off in early 2026.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Easton Town Center Creates a Fashion District

Sterling Heights, Michigan: The malls of the midcentury continue to make way for new formats. Lionheart Capital will close the 47-year-old, Detroit area Lakeside enclosed mall in July to make way for an open-air center called Lakeside Town Center. The project will break ground in late 2025 and will feature a central park and a two-story community center with amenities like pools, fitness facilities and lending libraries. The town center will go up in phases and eventually will include 2,219 units of housing, including 750 units of independent-living and assisted-living; about 180,000 square feet of retail and food-and-beverage; a 120-room hotel with an attached parking deck; and approximately 70,000 square feet of office.

Washington, D.C.: Public-private alliances continue to show that profits are possible in underserved neighborhoods. The Menkiti Group has completed the two-phase MLK Gateway in Ward 8 with office space, stores and a cafe. The project focused on local businesses for construction, and it is expected to help revitalize the historical Anacostia neighborhood. Both public and private sources funded the project.

Seaford, Delaware: Federal funds are spurring redevelopment of retail into other uses where residents need services. Ninth Street Development Co. will manage the redevelopment of the largely vacant, 243,000-square-foot Nylon Capital Shopping Center into an office and medical property anchored by a nonprofit hospital and a technical school. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021’s Capital Projects Fund will bankroll one-third of the $60 million project’s cost.

Retailers Passed 3PLs as the Biggest New Users of Warehouses

Walmart Reverses Health Care Center Strategy

Walmart plans to shutter all 51 of its health care centers across six states, citing an “unsustainable business model.” Walgreens and CVS also are shuttering health care locations. Rising labor costs and inflation are squeezing profit margins, making it increasingly expensive for retailers to operate clinics. Walmart’s decision will not affect its pharmacies and vision centers.

High-End Haven: Yorkdale Leads Canadian Malls in Sales Per Square Foot

Adding luxury tenants paid off for Toronto’s Yorkdale. According to ICSC’s ranking, Oxford’s 2 million-square-foot Yorkdale had the highest sales per square foot among Canada’s malls, at $2,402. That figure climbed by $176 between 2022 and 2023.

Fifty-three retailers opened locations at the property in the past few years, including 29 first-to-market brands, more than half of which operate in the luxury category. And the mall’s operator is doubling down on luxury. In August, Oxford announced plans to invest $28 million to create a luxury corridor for upscale brands entering Canada for the first time.

Sales increased at most of Canada’s top shopping centers in 2023, according to the survey. View more than 100 Canadian malls by sales per square foot here.