"All roads lead to CTC." Geoff Dyck said that on Oct. 15 at James River High School, according to Richmond BizSense. Dyck is a director at Gehl, the Danish urban planning firm hired to plan the mall's future. Chesterfield County doesn't have a traditional downtown, he said, and the mall sits near the middle of the county.
The plan Gehl and the mall's owners showed at Supervisor Mark Miller's community meeting is built around how Chesterfield Towne Center already works as the county's gathering place. The first construction is aimed at the food court, and the mall's newest arrivals so far are a family-run DVD shop and a local menswear and tailoring store.
The owners studied how people already use the mall
JRE Partners, a New York investment firm, and Anastacia AG, a Swiss company, bought the mall in December 2025. BizSense reported the price as $80 million. Pacific Retail Capital Partners, based in Los Angeles, took over management and leasing. At the time, the announcement mentioned a "potential redevelopment" but gave no details.
Ten months later, the details point inward. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Dyck's account of the team's research. They watched how people already use the mall to meet friends, spend time after school, exercise and socialize. With no traditional downtown, he said, Chesterfield already leans on the mall for some of those roles.
JRE managing principal John Fraser put the retail logic this way in the same Times-Dispatch report:
"That model of having department stores be really the reason people are coming to the mall and small shop space or feeding off the traffic has been inverted, and people are coming for experiences with small shops, and the anchors are kind of feeding off people that are coming from there."
The plan follows that idea. Fraser also told the crowd the goal isn't to copy Short Pump Town Center. He wants a mix that suits Chesterfield, with reasons to come in the evening for a drink, artisanal pizza or an event, the Times-Dispatch reported.
Three projects, and the order they're planned in
Gehl laid out three areas for the first round of work, according to BizSense and the Times-Dispatch:
- The food court becomes a "central square." Plans call for greenery, new kinds of seating and lounge areas, with a large tree or a public art piece in the middle. The restaurant mix would lean more adult, aimed at date nights and trivia crowds. The Times-Dispatch described space for studying, meeting friends and hosting small celebrations.
- The main north-south corridor gets a "main street" feel. That means planters, tables, gathering spots and storefronts opening directly onto the walkway.
- An outdoor park goes in near the western entrance. It would sit by Macy's and the food court, with greenery, play areas and a multi-purpose field. The Times-Dispatch described it as a landscaped plaza with a grove of trees, an event lawn, outdoor dining and a path connecting it to the mall.
Two of the three projects are indoors, and the third rebuilds a corner of the parking lot. "We're not knocking this down," Fraser said, as quoted by The Richmonder. He and Dyck also said housing isn't part of the initial plans, and The Richmonder reported that both points drew applause. Nearby malls in the region have gone another way. BizSense noted that others have been torn down or had apartments built next to them.
The mall will stay open during construction. The Times-Dispatch reported that the food-court work will cause some disruption and that much of the early interior work is cosmetic, not structural. Gehl has floated later ideas such as a "play street" and smaller gathering spots around the mall. Those are still concepts.
The timeline depends on who you ask
Each outlet at the meeting came away with a slightly different schedule:
| Source | What it reported about timing |
|---|---|
| Richmond BizSense | Food-court work targeted to begin in January, with the next two phases possibly close behind |
| The Richmonder | Goal to finish the first phase by the end of 2027 |
| 12 On Your Side | No exact timeline, with work beginning as soon as next year |
The outdoor park is the least settled piece. According to the Times-Dispatch, it still needs engineering work, coordination with the county and decisions about how much parking can be given up. Fraser declined to share a cost but said the funding is lined up, BizSense reported.
The edges of the mall are already changing
The renovation hasn't started, but the tenant mix is already shifting in the direction Fraser described, toward smaller, local operators.
Blue Rose Video & More opened Sept. 5 in a roughly 700-square-foot space next to Spencer's. Owner Wayne Marshall runs it with his wife and two daughters, and one daughter manages the store. They sell new and used DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K discs, rent movies and stock collectibles. Marshall told BizSense he focuses on newer releases and "boutique label, collectible stuff," with new titles coming in almost every day.
R.S. Milan Menswear & Custom Tailors opened a second location at the mall in June, and its Regency store is still open, BizSense reported.
Flavor Hive, a fast-casual spot known for walking tacos, has filed a building permit for the former Five Guys space. That unit has its own exterior entrance between The Twisted Crab and the empty TJ Maxx. Flavor Hive opened its first local restaurant in May at 1080 Virginia Center Parkway in Glen Allen. A manager there told BizSense the Chesterfield location should open later this year.
Coastal Southern Kitchen is planned for the spot right next to the future park. The Times-Dispatch reported that the outdoor space would sit near two vacant restaurants, ML Steak and Kali Love. Lindsey Food Group, which leases both, plans to reopen Kali Love as Coastal Southern Kitchen in November, with ML Steak to follow. Fraser said the outdoor area could bring more activity to those spaces and create more chances for evening dining and events.
Some tenants have also left. TJ Maxx and HomeGoods closed their mall store in February and announced new stores up the road at Pocono Crossing, at 10402 and 10340 Midlothian Turnpike, according to BizSense. WRIC reported that TJ Maxx announced a March 5 opening for the new location.
The owners also sold Chesterfield Towne Center Plaza, the Ross Dress for Less-anchored strip center at 11304 Midlothian Turnpike. Ross Realty Investments bought it for $11.5 million, closing Sept. 22, BizSense reported. The owners kept the mall.
The Sears space stays dark for now
The former Sears at the northwest end of the mall has been empty since 2020. Fraser said Sears still holds a long-term lease and pays rent. "They're a business that has a right to be there whether they're operating or not," he said, as quoted by BizSense. The Times-Dispatch reported that JRE hasn't yet approached Sears about filling the space. No new tenants for the renovated areas have been announced either.
At the meeting, one attendee asked whether the mall would go after retailers people now drive to Short Pump for, such as L.L. Bean and Crate & Barrel. Fraser said it would. "The retailers are a little bit like lemmings," he said, according to BizSense. "There are some lead retailers that you can get into a center and others look at that and say, 'If they're there, we want to be there.'"
On the mall calendar before work starts
The current food court is still open, and the mall's event calendar has a few dates coming up before construction begins:
- Nerdvana Expo, Saturday, Nov. 14. More than 100 vendor tables of games, anime and collectibles, with free admission and parking. The listing gives two different start times, 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., so check before you go. A stop at Blue Rose Video pairs well with this one.
- Hometown Vendor Market, Nov. 21–22. Local vendors, handmade gifts, fall décor and seasonal treats. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, per the mall's listing.
- Winter Wonderland Vendor Market, Saturday, Dec. 19. This is the last event on the calendar before the January target for food-court work.
Regular mall hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Holiday hours may be different, so check the mall's site before Thanksgiving weekend.
Lots of Chesterfield families have a story tied to this mall, and we'll be keeping track of what changes there in 2027. If you're curious how a changing commercial center nearby could affect what your home is worth, Garner Realty LLC can help with a no-pressure conversation. Get Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll walk you through it like family.
