Redeveloping Randhurst
One of the oldest malls in the U.S. is getting a new life as an outdoor center.
Randall Shearin

Randhurst Village, a redevelopment of the former Randhurst Mall in Mount Prospect, Illinois, will be anchored by a new AMC Theatres cinema, The Home Depot, Borders, Bed Bath & Beyond and Costco.

Following on the heels of the enormously successful Orlando-area mixed-use redevelopment of Winter Park Village, Sarasota, Florida-based Casto Lifestyle Properties is pursuing a similarly exciting opportunity in Mount Prospect, Illinois. Randhurst Village is an ambitious and innovative renovation and redevelopment that reinvents Randhurst Mall, an existing 100-acre enclosed shopping center, as a premier open-air mixed-use lifestyle center development.

When completed in spring of 2010, the finished project will include residential and hospitality components built above new retail space, as well as a new AMC 18-screen cinema that will serve as an entertainment anchor for the lifestyle portion of the project. 

Like Winter Park, the Randhurst Village plan transforms an existent property into a vibrant, mixed-use destination, establishing a powerful sense of place by reinventing a decades-old regional mall into an exciting new lifestyle concept. Unlike Winter Park, however, Randhurst Mall poses a different and potentially complicated new challenge; when construction begins in summer 2008. A significant portion of the mall will remain open and operational during redevelopment. Seven anchor tenants, including national names like Borders, Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond and Costco, will remain, and while some will receive an architectural facelift, construction on Randhurst Village is slated to proceed in a way that both accommodates their needs and seamlessly integrates those key tenants into the new design.

Challenging logistics notwithstanding, Randhurst Village appears poised to revitalize a landmark site with a comprehensive architectural, aesthetic and functionality overhaul and a new lifestyle concept that promises to have an extraordinary impact on the region.

Remarkable Site

Despite recent challenges and increasing competition from nearby retail options, the existing Randhurst Mall remains a regional landmark; a place with both social and architectural significance for many area residents. When architect Victor Greuen designed the mall 45 years ago, it was a state-of-the art structure that was, at the time, not only the first enclosed mall in the state of Illinois, but one of the largest air-conditioned contiguous indoor spaces in the world.

Casto Lifestyle Properties President and CEO Brett Hutchens points out that the site’s rich history was a factor in the decision to retain the “Randhurst” name. “This mall has meant so much to the surrounding communities for so long, that it seemed appropriate to recognize that,” says Hutchens. “We want to create something new and special, but we also want to respect the past by retaining the qualities that make Randhurst unique.”

“This is a phenomenal piece of real estate with an extremely promising demographic profile, but portions of the current product have become outdated,” continues Hutchens. “While the surrounding anchors have remained viable, the core of the mall proper has struggled to overcome some inherent structural, functional and design obstacles.”

In addition to retail, Randhurst Village will have 200 loft units and a hotel component as well.

While several of the peripheral anchor tenants have performed well and remain competitive, the awkward layout of the triangular central mall has made parking confusing and compromises the ability of shoppers to move through the site. According to Hutchens, the new lifestyle format will not only add a fresh sense of vitality and a broad array of new uses, but will go a long way towards addressing the issues of connectivity.

“That sense of cohesion, connection, and intuitive flow is a key part of our plans for the future lifestyle center. Our challenge all along has been to create additional value, densify the space, and make it more relevant, while respecting the leases with the existing anchor tenants. We have created a plan that allows us to do that in a way that really transforms the character of the site.”

While the most significant component of the redevelopment will require the demolition of the mall’s core two-level structure, a geopolitical quirk and architectural curiosity has inspired a creative design solution. When the site was originally zoned and approved in the 1950s, the village of Mount Prospect required that a bomb shelter be incorporated into the design that was capable of housing all local residents in an emergency. As a result, there still is a 3- to 4-acre bomb shelter underneath the mall. By making use of that infrastructure and converting the existing basement space into additional sub-grade parking for non-retail uses, Randhurst Village will be able to service not only the expanded retail, dining and entertainment options, but provide plenty of parking space for the 200 residential loft apartments and limited-service hotel component to be built above the retail.

Plans may also be in the works to reuse an existing on-site water tower as part of a project-wide water reuse and recycling initiative.

Vibrant New Destination

The finished Randhurst Village project will result in a net increase of about 40,000 square feet of retail space. Most of the expansion will consist of the new residential and hospitality components, with a bustling street grid. New landscaping, wide pedestrian walkways and an atmosphere of energized streetside activity will complement natural gathering spaces and create a compelling fusion of urban chic and small-town conveniences.  The end of “main street” will be anchored by a new, larger AMC cinema.

Because of the plan’s complexity, Casto Lifestyle Properties, along with partner JP Morgan, have decided against a phased opening, opting instead for a one-time grand ribbon cutting in 2010. In the meantime, an abundance of parking lot acreage will help make it possible to stage construction and facilitate redevelopment work while allowing the anchors to remain open and operating.

Aside from the design challenges, the demographics compare favorably with Winter Park, which has become such a success story for the company, and the site’s past history and future potential is proving to be a tempting target for potential new tenants. Casto Lifestyle Properties is working with Great Streets Realty in Chicago to do the leasing, and early indications have shown tremendous interest from both regional and national vendors.

Hutchens says that redevelopment is generally more difficult than starting with a blank slate, and points out that “it can be somewhat of a challenge getting people to look past what is already in place and visualize the future potential.” However, meeting those challenges and creating a dynamic new development can be extremely rewarding. “In the end, everybody wins; the tenants, the landlords and, most importantly, the community.”