Michaels, a national retailer known for arts and crafts supplies, will be opening a new store at the Westdale Town Center in Cedar Rapids in mid-2024.
Todd Nelson, president and chief executive officer of the Midwest division of Frew Development Development Group, said Michaels has signed a long-term lease for a 16,000-square-foot building at 3500 Dalton Way SW, next to Ross Dress for Less.
The building was formerly occupied by Shoe Show, which closed its Westdale location about a year ago, Mr. Nelson said. The shoe store had opened in October 2017 in the lower level of the former Von Maur department store building.
““We are pleased to welcome Michaels to Westdale Town Center,” Mr. Nelson said in a release. “Michaels is a perfect fit with our other retail brands and will enhance the shopping experience and customer traffic at Westdale. As Westdale nears completion with only three restaurant and five retail locations remaining, Michaels’ decision is another validation for the strength of Westdale Town Center and the southwest Cedar Rapids submarket.”
Frew Development Group has been contracted by the city to lead the development efforts for the former 900,000-square-foot Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids, transforming the 72-acre site into an open air “Shop-Work-Live-Play” destination. The city first entered into a development agreement with Frew in 2013, and In 2018, the city renegotiated the agreement in a new 20-year deal.
The $90 million redevelopment project involved the demolition of more than 600,000 square feet of structure, creating three stand-alone anchor buildings (the largest of which is home to JC Penney) and 32 development pads.
In addition to JCPenney, current tenants include major national retailers (Ross Dress for Less, Burlington Stores and PetSmart), hospitality (Tru by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton), financial services (US Bank, First Federal Credit Union, Veridian Credit Union and GreenState Credit Union), medical (the U.S. Veteran’s Administration Medical Center and Physiotherapy Associates), restaurants (Crab Shack, Napoli’s, Chick-fil-A, Freddy’s Steakhouse, Domino’s Pizza, Caribou Coffee and the recently opened Boulder Tap House), and market-rate apartments (Parkway West Tower I).
Construction on an additional 148 market-rate apartment complex is expected to begin in 2024.
