Collin Creek Mall

[DPatel304]

I hope they can pull this off, because I think this part of Plano has a lot going for it already. There are a couple of DART rail stations in close proximity, the upcoming Silver Line will run close to here and connect this area to UTD and Addison, and Downtown Plano is just across the highway.

The houses east of 75 seem to be (relatively) reasonably priced, and then you have a couple streets of houses like this that look like they could very easily belong in East Dallas, West Dallas, or Bishop Arts:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.0148654 ... 384!8i8192

This area will be a fantastic compromise for people who happen to work up north, like living in areas with character, and don't want to commute from Dallas proper, and it's also (currently) more affordable.

[The_Overdog]

I just think it's going to be really hard for Collin Creek mall area and downtown Plano area to really gel together for the same reason that it took so long for Uptown/Downtown to gel - there is a ground-level (mostly) huge freeway that separates the two and limits the number of crossing points. They are each going to have to grow successfully as separate entities for the next 20ish (maybe more) years before something is done to really connect them.

[DPatel304]

Oh yeah, you're absolutely right. It'll take forever for these seperate areas to gel (if they ever do), but the proximity will still help each other grow. As more and more jobs come to this part of town, the east side of 75 will become more and more attractice for residents.

[exelone31]

I find the references to downtown Plano puzzling. Perhaps it is close on a map, but CC mall is not included in my (current) idea of DT Plano, by a long shot. But even the short distance as the crow flies does not account for the 10(?) lane wall that is NCX.

Yeah I don't get that either. I know they've done some improvements to 15th St on the east side of 75 to widen sidewalks/etc, but even that doesn't really connect it any better to Collin Creek on a non-car scale.

[orthr]

The houses east of 75 seem to be (relatively) reasonably priced, and then you have a couple streets of houses like this that look like they could very easily belong in East Dallas, West Dallas, or Bishop Arts:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.0148654 ... 384!8i8192

That area you're referring to is Plano's Douglass community - the city's only historically black neighborhood/enclave. While quite small, it's actually a very tight-knit place. Any new development would have to closely work with the neighborhood due to its past and historical significance (which I recommend looking up).

It would be nice to see the whole Collin Creek/Downtown Plano/Cityline area densify as a single urban area, but I think there are quite a few barriers from preventing that happening anytime soon with 75 and Bush.

Also, am I the only one that's disappointed that the plan no longer includes daylighting the creek? I understand it's cost prohibitive, but it would've been really nice to see the area connect and extend into the Spring Creek trails/preserve in Richardson.

[The_Overdog]

There actually are some preliminary plans to connect to the trails in Richardson - it already does to some degree, but considering it's among the busiest trails in Plano and connects to Richardson's much better biking network they aren't very good - you can see that trails get wider and better at the Richardson border. I'm not sure the actual path, but there is supposed to eventually be a trail that more or less follows the creek from 15th Street south.

It probably won't be built for quite a while since the Cottonbelt rail line will run where the current trail in Richardson is, the current trail will be shifted farther south, and there will be a busy railline blocking - I'm sure all of that sent it back to the drawing board.

[itsjrd1964]

Half of Collin Creek Mall is coming down, and more plans for the $1 billion Plano redo

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... dying-mall

[LongonBigD]

I don't know if this is current, but here is a link to Omniplan’s proposal for Collin Creek. It includes some townhomes (I don’t see 500 homes unless they are counting apts) and proposes to reopen the creek.

http://www.omniplan.com/work/projects/collincreek.html

[muncien]

^^^^
That's pretty solid if that is what is in play. Although, it is weird how the creek section (best aspect) doesn't really integrate with the leftover mall at all. They're like estranged family who don't talk to each other. You would think they could have incorporated a plaza like area to link the two.

[exelone31]

Wow, amazing that they were able to hack into Scott Beck's recent search history for their headline.

[The_Overdog]

I don't believe that is the current plan - there is way less parking lots in the design documents, and JC Penny is going to be on the ring road to the southwest in a standalone approximately 100k sq ft store while all the mall anchors are torn down. As far as I have heard, the creek is going to remain closed and they are going to put in a crystal lagoon (like the stalled project in Rowlett but smaller) probably just to spite Rowlett.

[The_Overdog]

Demo fence is up now around the north side of the mall.

[exelone31]

Demo fence is up now around the north side of the mall.

Nice! It's really happening!!

[itsjrd1964]

DART has announced a re-route of its route #870, which has just changed from passing by the east perimeter of the building, to now driving around the west mall ring road instead.

https://m.dart.org/riderAlertDetails.asp?id=4609

[The_Overdog]

The mall's demo has started. They were originally planning on retaining the Macy's/Sanger Harris mural (much the same as the one on Valley View (I think?) but they found asbestos material was used to adhere them to the wall, and thus remediation is too expensive.

https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort ... -asbestos/

[itsjrd1964]

The mall's demo has started. They were originally planning on retaining the Macy's/Sanger Harris mural (much the same as the one on Valley View (I think?) but they found asbestos material was used to adhere them to the wall, and thus remediation is too expensive.

https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort ... -asbestos/

The Plano Sanger Harris store facade design was more like latter-day locations like the Tyler store, while the Valley View and Red Bird stores used a different, earlier design. All have been mosaics nonetheless, and very much missed. It would be great if at least 1 of the Red Bird mosaic facades could be saved.