Urban Planning
Gibbs Planning Group
MASTER PLAN for MALL RETROFIT Village of Rochester, MI
Urban i ntelligence
2000 Located in Rochester Hills, one of suburban Detroit’s upscale communities, the Meadow-brook Mall had gradually lost its appeal and many of its retailers since its opening in 1975. T he mall’s owner, Robert B. Aikens, Co. was also facing stiff resistance from the city for their proposal to expand the center with needed large retail anchors. GPG was retained by Aikens in 2000, to develop a new vision and master plan for the expansion of a 200,000 sf enclosed mall. GPG proposed razing the entire mall and replacing it with a mixed-use walkable town center. GPG’s plan included a new main street lined with 350,000 sf of ground-floor shops and residential on two upper floors. GPG also proposed adding a major department store, a supermarket and a town square. The Gibbs plan was embraced by the city and quickly leased with over 100 upscale restaurants and retailers including Ann Taylor, Eddie Bauer, Orvis, Pottery Barn, Talbots, Von Maur and Whole Foods. The now rebranded, Village of Rochester, was one of the first ‘lifestyle’ centers in the US and remains Michigan’s only new urban retail center. To date, the proposed residential has not yet been implemented. (Architects: JPRA/Landscape Architects: Grissim-Metz))
Meadow Brook Mall c. 1999
240 Martin Street · Birmingham, Michigan · 48009 · Tel. 248-642-4800
Copyright 2020: Gibbs Planning Group, Inc.
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