Foothills mall redevelopment plans up for neighborhood meeting

The owners of Foothills mall are moving ahead with the first steps toward redevelopment of the Midtown shopping center.

The city's planning department will host a neighborhood meeting June 26 at the site to discuss plans to convert the enclosed mall to a walkable, mixed-use location with new commercial, retail, office and apartments.

Loveland-based McWhinney Inc. and Prism Places bought Foothills mall and shopping center for $45 million in 2021 after previous owners Walton Foothills Holdings VI — a holding company owned by mall developers Walton Street Capital and Alberta Development Partners — defaulted on a $46.59 million loan, sending the property into receivership.

Since then, owners have been working on redevelopment plans that fit their vision for a walkable, mixed-use destination featuring open spaces for commercial gatherings. They unveiled their preliminary plans at an open house in April and filed conceptual plans with Fort Collins' planning department two weeks later.

The city requires a neighborhood meeting before formal plans can be submitted.

Preliminary plans call for razing much of the interior mall, adding up to 750 apartments in three-story to five-story buildings, adding 75,000 square feet of office space, enhancing the visitor experience and increasing the open air shopping. The exterior shops along College Avenue and across Foothills Parkway are expected to remain largely as they are.

A permanent stage, seating area and great lawn create space for small and large events. The south end in front of Cinemark will be large enough for food trucks to park during special events and local farmers markets. Fire pits and shade structures, as well as overhead protection, will create a space for year-round use, according to plans.

The goal of the interior mall's deconstruction is to "rewild" the site, owners said in April while unveiling a handful of renderings and noting a need for the mall to have outdoor spaces and natural elements that are more reflective of Fort Collins. In its preliminary plans, McWhinney hopes to go from 4.2 acres of outdoor space on the edges of the existing mall to 11 acres of open space woven through its new, open-air design.

A virtual and in-person meeting will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. June 26 at the mall. Information on how to participate remotely will be posted 48 hours prior to the meeting.

To view the conceptual plans, visit fcgov.com/developmentreview/proposals and click on conceptual reviews.

Coloradoan reporter Erin Udell contributed to this report.