Mapping South Florida Shopping Mall Redevelopments

Many South Florida shopping malls are like chrysalises, struggling to shed their retail-only past and emerge as vibrant mixed-use districts.

More than a half-dozen shopping centers across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are slated for redevelopments to add thousands of apartments alongside retail, restaurants, offices, hotels and entertainment.

The projects reflect the region’s demand for housing and owners’ efforts to revive malls that have lost department stores, grappled with declining foot traffic or struggled to fill vacant space.

But that push for growth hasn’t been without challenges, as several redevelopment plans have encountered political opposition, legal battles or other hurdles that have impacted their transformation.

This map shows some of the tri-county region’s biggest mall redevelopment proposals in the works.

Mapbox map created by Adam Farence

Here’s a breakdown of major mixed-use projects planned at the retail hubs.

Miami International Mall: 1455 Northwest 107th Avenue, Doral

Simon Property Group’s Miami International Mall in Doral is moving forward with a mixed-use overhaul, where Greystar has proposed an 896-unit apartment project on the former Sears and JCPenney sites.

Easton Group affiliates acquired the two department store parcels in 2024 for $29.3 million, and the Doral City Council advanced the redevelopment applications on first reading in June. The proposal still requires a second and final vote. Meanwhile, the former Kohl’s building at 1275 Northwest 107th Avenue is being converted into a 110,000-square-foot Elev8 Fun indoor entertainment center expected to open this summer.

The redevelopment comes as the mall grapples with some financial headwinds.

The mall’s CMBS loan has been in special servicing since February 2024 after maturing without repayment, according to Morningstar. Simon received multiple forbearance extensions, most recently through February 2027, with an option to extend to February 2028 after a $5 million equity contribution. As of September, the mall was 85 percent occupied overall, while the collateral portion backing the loan was 75 percent occupied. A June 2025 appraisal valued the property at $143 million, down about 60 percent from its $391 million valuation at securitization more than a decade earlier.

Miami International Mall is anchored by Macy’s and JCPenney and is home to national retailers including H&M, Zara, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Foot Locker, Pandora and JD Sports.

The Shops at Sunset Place: 5701 Sunset Drive, South Miami

Midtown Development, an affiliate of Midtown Opportunities, acquired The Shops at Sunset Place in South Miami for $65.5 million in 2021 and plans to replace the aging retail center with a walkable mixed-use district.

The South Miami City Commission approved the redevelopment, which calls for seven towers ranging from 12 to 33 stories, 1,513 residences, a 287-room hotel, a 1,300-seat movie theater, offices, restaurants and entertainment uses. After earlier redevelopment efforts stalled, the approved plan includes benchmarks tied to increasing the property’s taxable value by 2034 to help ensure the project moves forward and financially benefits the city.

While many retailers have already vacated the property ahead of demolition, major remaining tenants include AMC Theatres, LA Fitness, GameTime, Barnes & Noble and Splitsville. Demolition was expected to begin early this year but has yet to start as the project awaits permits and condo presales. The first phase, including new streets and the condo-hotel, is targeted for completion by 2029.

Bal Harbour Shops: 9700 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour

Whitman Family Development is still pursuing a proposal to expand Bal Harbour Shops with three 275-foot towers, including offices, a hotel and 500 apartments through Florida’s Live Local Act, after Bal Harbour officials unanimously rejected a settlement that would have significantly downsized the project.

The decision extended a two-year legal battle that began after Whitman sued the village in 2024, alleging officials refused to process its Live Local Act application. The proposed settlement would have reduced the development to three smaller towers with 180 apartments, removing it from eligibility under the state law. The rejected vote came days after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier backed Whitman’s lawsuit with a friend-of-the-court brief.

Bal Harbour Shops is home to recently opened China Grill, which returned to South Florida 14 years after closing its South Beach location. Hillstone and Makoto are among the other restaurant tenants. The luxury shopping center also houses some of the world’s top fashion brands, including Hermès, Chanel and Goyard, which is one of six standalone boutiques in the U.S.

The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale: 2414 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale

Russell Galbut unveiled updated plans in late May for the $100 million redevelopment of Fort Lauderdale’s Galleria Mall, which would transform the aging shopping center into a mixed-use district with nine 30-story towers, more than 3,000 apartments, a 170-room hotel, office space, 30 restaurants and revamped retail utilizing the state’s Live Local Act.

Speaking at a Bisnow event in May, the GFO Investments chairman lashed out at opponents of the Live Local Act project, calling them “idiots.” More than 1,000 people have signed a petition opposing the redevelopment over concerns about traffic, infrastructure, noise and displacement.

Partners on the project include InSite Group, Atlas Hill Real Estate and Prime Finance. The Galleria is anchored by Macy’s and Dillard’s and is home to retailers including Apple, H&M, Banana Republic, Free People, Sephora, Pandora and Williams Sonoma, along with popular restaurants such as The Capital Grille, Seasons 52 and P.F. Chang’s.

Boynton Beach Mall: 801 North Congress Avenue, Boynton Beach

Washington Prime Group wants to redevelop the 91-acre Boynton Beach Mall into a mixed-use project, seeking approvals for at least 1,700 apartments. As part of that plan, the mall owner paid $15 million for the Macy’s department store in 2024, giving it control of more of the site.

The mall, which opened in 1985, was once a major retail destination but has struggled in recent years with declining foot traffic, rising vacancies and shifting consumer shopping habits. Today, it is anchored by JCPenney, Dillard’s Clearance Center, Cinemark and Christ Fellowship, with national retailers including Victoria’s Secret & Pink, Bath & Body Works, Foot Locker, Aéropostale and Hot Topic.

Town Center at Boca Raton: 6000 Glades Road, Boca Raton

Simon Property Group filed plans in May with the Boca Raton Plan Advisory Board to redevelop the former Sears site at Town Center at Boca Raton into a mixed-use project with a 197-room hotel, 374 apartments and 157,000 square feet of retail.

Simon acquired the 18.6-acre Sears property for $23 million last year, after the department store closed in 2018, and plans to demolish the building.

The proposal also includes an eight-story parking garage and a landscaped “main street” connecting the new development. Simon owns the central portion of the 1.77 million-square-foot mall, while Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s own their department stores.

The mall is home to luxury retailers including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier and Tiffany & Co., with a dining lineup that includes The Capital Grille, True Food Kitchen, Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar and P.F. Chang’s.

The Mall at Wellington Green: 10300 West Forest Hill Boulevard, Wellington

Bainbridge Companies is moving forward with the first phase of the long-planned redevelopment of The Mall at Wellington Green, proposing a 620-unit apartment project with three seven-story buildings, a clubhouse and a parking garage on the former Nordstrom site. The developer has the property under contract from court-appointed receiver Spinoso Real Estate Group, which is managing the mall on behalf of its Starwood-affiliated owner, TM Wellington Green Mall LP. The sale is subject to court approval.

The project marks the latest step in the mall’s transformation after billionaire Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Retail Partners scrapped its post-pandemic redevelopment plan, which called for apartments, a hotel, restaurants, an entertainment district and a lagoon. The Village of Wellington later adopted a master plan envisioning the property’s evolution into a mixed-use district.

Redevelopment efforts accelerated as the mall’s financial troubles mounted. In 2019, a $680 million CMBS loan backed by a four-mall portfolio that included the Wellington property was transferred to special servicing after maturing without repayment, as the mall also lost Nordstrom as an anchor tenant. The property’s taxable value had fallen 32 percent to $150 million from the $341.1 million Starwood paid in 2014. Those struggles culminated in a 2021 foreclosure lawsuit and the mall’s placement into receivership.

The Mall at Wellington Green is anchored by Macy’s, Dillard’s and JCPenney, with retailers including Apple, H&M, Tommy Bahama, Chico’s, Ashley and City Furniture. Dining options include California Pizza Kitchen, Chick-fil-A, Mediterranean Plate and Pizza Cucinova, while CMX Cinemas remains a major entertainment draw.