A rendering shows the new layout of Regency, which plans to drop "Square" from its name. (rendering by Baskervill, courtesy Thalhimer)
Santa arrived at Regency Square mall this month to a changing landscape. Construction started Sept. 5 to reconfigure the entrance from Quioccasin Road. The flyover bridge came down, and the parking deck adjacent to Quioccasin was set to be demolished.
Near the new four-way “signature entrance” will be a two-story building with stores and restaurants, and outparcels featuring new tenants — Starbucks (in the former Bank of America building), Chipotle and MOD Pizza. Of the department stores, only J.C. Penney remains. Macy’s left in 2016 and Sears closed in September, through the retailer still owns the property and its shuttered automotive center. A 10-screen Regal Cinemas location, set to open in the spring of 2019, will take the place of the Macy’s on the mall’s south side, and negotiations were underway for a trampoline park in the north side space.
“It’s part of the evolution malls are going through, to become more experiential,” says Steven Bonniville, general manager.
Regency’s changes are the result of a planned makeover by Thalhimer Realty Partners and the Rebkee Co., which bought the 42-year-old mall in 2015. Bonniville says the $35 million first phase also includes refreshing the interior and exterior during the first half of 2018.
