2025 is bringing major changes to malls in Bloomingdale, Lombard and West Dundee

Suburban shoppers will see significant changes as demolition work continues on malls in Bloomingdale and Lombard- and will soon start in West Dundee.

Three malls — Yorktown Center in Lombard, Stratford Square in Bloomingdale and Spring Hill in West Dundee — are in the midst of a transformation as villages and ownership reimagine the retail centers.

Stratford Square Mall

Demolition work has exposed much of the inside of the mall and is expected to be completed by the end of May, Village Administrator Pietro Scalera said.

“They are about halfway through tearing down the building,” he said. “They have gotten to the interior and made it all the way to what used to be the food court.”

He noted that the former JC Penney and Burlington Coat Factory stores have already been torn down. Work on the Carson Pirie Scott store will commence soon.

The Kohl’s store will remain, and the village has worked with the retailer to prepare for its transformation. Scalera said the entrance from Kohl’s into the main part of the mall has already been walled off, and plans call for an exterior entrance on the lower level of Kohl’s.

The village purchased the mall properties for $17.25 million, and the demolition costs are $4.7 million.

Conceptual plans reimagine the Stratford Square area as “The Grove,” a mixed-use development that would include a meandering boardwalk, illuminated fountain towers, and a large lawn for events, yoga or ice skating.

As the property owner, the village will act as the general contractor bringing individual users to the new space. Scalera said the town is already in talks with potential tenants and hopes to make some of those public later this year.

“It’s an exciting time in our community,” he said of the development.

Yorktown Center

Demolition of the old Carson Pirie Scott store continues and is expected to be complete by the end of February, Lombard Community Development Director William Heniff said.

The former Carson’s store will be replaced by a green space between the remaining mall and a luxury apartment development called Yorktown Reserve.

The construction phase at Yorktown Reserve is expected to start later this year and will include 271 units. Village officials anticipate having the first phase completed sometime next year.

The center also has welcomed some new restaurants, including Ancho & Agave, Empire Burgers + Brew and Dave & Buster’s. A Fresh Market grocery store is expected to open in 2026.

“There’s a lot of synergies there,” said Phil Domenico, one of the owners of Synergy Construction & Development, the company building the luxury apartments next to the mall.

At the mall, some interior-facing stores will have exterior access where the Carson’s store entrance into the mall once stood.

Heniff said the mix of shops and residential is a growing trend as shopping malls look for ways to repurpose the space once occupied by large anchor retailers.

“Instead of an empty sea of parking, you have residences there,” he said, noting the convenience of having shopping close to residences benefits both.

Spring Hill Mall

In West Dundee, village trustees recently approved a $3.6 million contract for crews to tear down Spring Hill Mall. Demolition work, which excludes the Kohl’s store and Cinemark theater, is expected to start sometime in March.

Though the mall straddles both West Dundee and Carpentersville, most of the mall is within West Dundee.

he village spent $9.3 million to purchase the mall, including the former Carson’s, Sears and Macy’s stores. Part of the purchased property, such as the former Carson’s store, is in Carpentersville.

West Dundee officials envision a mixed-use development featuring retail, residential and restaurants and are hopeful demolition and cleanup of the mall property will spark developer interest.

“We expect that once the demolition starts in earnest, we’ll start seeing more interest in the property,” West Dundee Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said.

Though Kohl’s recently announced plans to shutter its store at Spring Hill Mall, Cavallaro said West Dundee has no plans to purchase the property. The Kohl’s store at the mall is within the village of Carpentersville.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250123/retail-and-shopping/2025-is-bringing-major-changes-to-malls-in-bloomingdale-lombard-and-west-dundee/