The long-awaited re-development of the SouthPark Mall will begin on Thursday, April 24th, 2014.
Phase one of the project begins Thursday. That involves the tear down of the food court and old Sears building. Inside, the mall will have new restrooms, a common's area, and better lighting. Outside, there will be new entrances, landscaping, and new signage.
In March, the mall celebrated its 40th anniversary. The mall's owner, Macerich, held a ribbon cutting event in March in preparation for Thursday's groundbreaking. Macerich will build two new exterior entrances to the mall too.
Phase one should be complete by November of 2014. Phase two involves the Illinois Department of Transportation building an entrance way to the mall off of John Deere Road. Construction on John Deere Road won't start until 2015.
Thursday's groundbreaking starts at 4 p.m. at the old Sears building. All four anchor stores, JCPenney, Dillard's, Younkers, and Von Maur will stay open throughout the construction.