The symbolic wrecking ball has arrived at MainPlace Mall.
The old Nordstrom parking structure, surrounded by construction fencing, is being torn down at the Santa Ana mall to make room for 400 apartments amid an industry decline of in-person shopping.
Mall owner Centennial Real Estate Co. began the razing of a two-level parking lot connecting the structure to the mall on Feb. 3 — with two pedestrian bridges being torn down. The old Nordstrom building, which closed in 2017, will be demolished next and turned into an open-air plaza, MainPlace General Manager Cory Sams told the Business Journal.
Plans – and a budget – for the apartment building and open-air plaza are still being fleshed out, Sams said.
The latest mall project is part of a larger, $500 million redevelopment of the 67-year-old shopping center. In 2023, the first phase of the overhaul included the opening of the 309-unit Paloma apartment complex on the other side of the mall.
Brick-and-Mortar Blues
Several shopping centers in Orange County are undergoing changes as their retail outlets struggle to compete with online websites.
Laguna Hills Mall was torn down in 2023 and Simon Property Group announced plans to repurpose Brea Mall after its last original anchor, Sears, closed its doors in 2018. Simon also rebranded The Block at Orange. Apartments have been built surrounding the mall.
The Village at Orange, once known as the Orange Mall, shut down in January 2024 after a 50-year run. Most of it has been torn down. Some exterior shops remain.
A decade ago, the 1.1-million-square-foot MainPlace Mall reported annual sales of around $235 million, making it among the top 10 largest malls in Orange County. Today, it is ranked No. 21 on the Business Journal’s most recent report on OC shopping centers with $109 million in sales for the year ended June 30, 2024, down 41% from the previous year.
Beyond Nordstrom, other national and regional retailers and restaurants that have vacated the mall over the years include Crate & Barrel, The Body Shop, The Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, Johnny Rockets, Dog Haus and Blaze Pizza.
Retail Out, Housing and Entertainment In
The new apartment complex at the mall will be the second multifamily project built at MainPlace. Dallas-based Centennial opened a 309-unit apartment building on its property in 2023.
Development of the second apartment building project could reach as much as $200 million, based upon comparable sales of multifamily developments near MainPlace.
CoStar data shows the Prisma, a 182-unit apartment building at 301 Jeanette Lane, sold for $436,813 per unit in 2020. The 262-unit Cameo at 1055 W. Town and Country Road sold for $568,702 per unit in 2021.
Centennial will also tear down the former Nordstrom location and replace it with an open-air terrace. That plaza could possibly have some restaurants, green space and an area to activate events, Sams said.
Demolition of the parking structure and Nordstrom department store would take about three months to complete, according to Sams. The razing of the vacant Nordstrom building could start 30 to 45 days into the destruction of the parking structure.
Tearing down the Nordstrom and parking structure is part of Centennial’s plan to revamp MainPlace Mall as a place where people do more than shop.
Sams, during a tour with the Business Journal, said MainPlace is focusing on bringing in more entertainment concepts, as there is “no need for more retail space.”
In 2022, for example, the mall replaced several storefronts with an 17,000-square-foot American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park. It was the country’s first Ninja adventure park, modeled after the NBC competition show in which contestants navigate obstacle courses including monkey swings, when it opened.
“Bringing the first American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park in the U.S. to MainPlace Mall shakes up the traditional shopping experience with a dose of adrenaline,” Centennial Vice President of Property Management Jonathan Maher said at the time.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mall had plans to replace the 150,000-square-foot Nordstrom building with a food hall and entertainment venue.
Sams, who has been with MainPlace in a variety of roles since 2003, said those plans were “wiped-out” due to the pandemic and the Nordstrom building would be torn down to make way for an “open plaza.”
That plaza could be the site of a “culinary village” concept, with chef-driven restaurants populating the space, according to Sams.
GM Says Hotel and Office Buildings Could be Next
Updating the old Nordstrom space and replacing a parking structure with housing are not the only plans on MainPlace’s plate.
Sams said the mall could also see a hotel or office building built on the property’s west side. An entertainment space or similar concept could also be in the works.
The mall’s website says Centennial understands MainPlace is “part of the Santa Ana business community,” and it is the Dallas-based company’s goal “for the mall to reflect the personality and style of the area’s residents.”
Centennial bought the MainPlace property from Westfield and others over the past few years, earning entitlements along the way to build a hotel and maintain flexibility when it comes to placement of the buildings, according to Sams.
CoStar identified MainPlace as “a three-story super-regional shopping center.” The mall, anchored by Macy’s and JCPenney, is, according to CoStar, home to between 150 and 200 shopping, dining and entertainment options.
MainPlace was most recently renovated in 2016, with three new restaurants and the addition of 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport, Round 1 Bowling & Amusement and Ashley HomeStore.
Future development plans, per CoStar, would “execute on Centennial’s vision to transform MainPlace to an economic and social hub reflective of its community – offering retail, dining, and entertainment options that span demographic and desire.”
The OCBJ Road Trip
This article on MainPlace Mall is the result of a Road Trip by the OCBJ’s editorial staff. If you have a suggestion for a city where the OCBJ editorial staff should visit, email Editor-in-Chief Peter J. Brennan at brennan@ocbj.com.
