SandboxAlpha
| Location | Laredo, Texas, USA |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 2015 |
| Developer | Horizon Group |
| Owner | Morgan Stern Realty |
| No. of stores and services | 80+ |
| Total retail floor area | 400,000+ sq. ft. |
| No. of floors | 3 |
The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo is a planned regional 400,000-square-foot (37,000 m2) outlet mall located in the north Rio Grande bank in downtown Laredo, Texas. River Drive Mall is set to be demolished in 2014 to make way for the Outlet Shoppes at Laredo. The outlet mall is expected to open by 2015.
History
editRiver Drive Mall
editThe River Drive Mall was constructed in 1970 making it the first indoor mall in Laredo, followed by Mall del Norte constructed in 1977. The mall was succeeded by Mall Del Norte in the late 1980s as the main mall in the city. In 2003 the mall closed down for renovation by its new owners.
El Portal Center
editMorgan Stern Realty bought the property in 2003, renamed it El Portal Center and started renovating it until 2005. It had been planned for Morgan Stern Realty to turn "El Portal Center" into an indoor outlet mall.[1] Their main emphasis would have been outlets stores, restaurants, and entertainment. In 2006, a spokesman for Morgan Stern Realty stated, "Our progress has been impeded primarily on the barrage of negative, national news coverage of Laredo that has depicted the violence in Nuevo Laredo as spilling over to Laredo, while unfair and inaccurate, has nonetheless caused a delay in our factory outlet leasing program."[2] El Portal Center project was never completed.
The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo
editOn June 12, 2013 Horizon Group Properties and the City of Laredo announced the development of an outlet center in place of El Portal Center. The outlet mall will feature from 80 to 90 outlet stores in a newly planned multi-floor open air building. El Portal Center will be demolished in 2014 for the new building. The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo is expected to open by 2015.[3][4][5]
Area
editThe Outlet Shoppes will be located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande west of the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge connecting Laredo, Texas with Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The combined population of both cities is 636,516 according to census figures in 2010 from Mexico and the United States.
Other buildings in the planning stages for the area around the Outlet Shoppes at Laredo include a Convention Center, a World Trade Center, a 5 star hotel, and a weir to make a low level lake in the Rio Grande known as the River Vega Project.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ LareDOS Article on Revitalization projects to bring new life to downtown
- ^ Laredo Council Meeting, July 17, 2006
- ^ Laredo Morning Times City announces outlet center in downtown Laredo
- ^ Horizon Group Plans for The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo
- ^ KXOF Fox 39 New Outlets Coming to Laredo
- ^ Downtown revitalization City officials eye plans for convention, trade center
- ^ A new Rio Grande City’s River Vega plan would energize downtown
27°30′06″N 99°30′36″W / 27.5017°N 99.5101°W
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