East Hills Shopping Center
Walton has been contracted to lead the redevelopment and expansion of East Hills Shopping Center, which is located at Belt Highway and Frederick Avenue in St. Joseph, Missouri. The center as originally constructed in 1964 included 416,000 square feet of space with JCPenney and Montgomery Wards as the anchors. East Hills currently consists of 676,000 square feet on approximately 65 acres of land and is anchored by three major tenants: JCPenney, Sears and Dillard’s.
In January 2008, the City Council of St. Joseph approved the $131 million redevelopment of East Hills. Once the redevelopment is complete, not a single area of the property – inside or out – will have gone unimproved.
The initial phase of the development, currently underway and scheduled to be complete by November 2008, consists of:
Newly identified major entries with tower features over 40 feet high.
New parking lot featuring beautiful landscaping and islands to define the drives.
Wide exterior sidewalks that will feature decorative pavements, landscaped areas, pedestrian lighting and connectivity to major streets.
A unique “Sun Porch” eating area which will be the central focus of the interior. This will feature food vendors, seating for over 500 people, state of the art lighting, new clerestories/skylights and a fireplace that will create a truly special experience.
An inviting play area for young children at the Dillard’s/Sears' court area.
Throughout this entire phase, all existing tenants of East Hills remained open for business.
The second phase, targeted to be complete by March 2009, will provide for an additional 60,000 of leasable square feet which will include a life-style component with additional up-scale retail and restaurants.