Macerich Launches 1M-SF-Plus Mall Makeover

FREEHOLD, NJ-Owner Macerich Co. has announced the launch of a top-to-bottom renovation of its 1.4 million-sf Freehold Raceway Mall here. That renovation, which coincides with a 100,000-sf expansion that began earlier this year, is expected to be completed in spring 2008. It also marks the first renovation of the property since it opened in 1990.

“With the current expansion under way, it was time to look at the interior of the center to see how we could make it more comfortable and pleasant for our guests,” says Frank Lucia, senior property manager for the California-based Macerich. “Together, these projects will bring a fresh new experience.”

Project architect for the renovation is 505 Design. The project, according to that firm’s Nick Igel, includes new interior surfaces and lighting elements, new seating areas, a new guest services center, and a newly redesigned center court and water feature. “We are adding pattern, texture, softness, color and decorative lighting,” Igel says.

The expansion, meanwhile, began earlier this year and is expected to be completed in the fall. As reported by GSR, that project involves a three-building, open-air lifestyle center attached to the mall’s east side. The existing mall is anchored by five department stores and has a tenant roster totaling about 200.

Freehold Raceway Mall became part of Macerich’s holdings in early 2005 when it was purchased from original developer Wilmorite Properties as part of a 13-property acquisition that carried a price tag of $2.3 billion.