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Photo by Supplied / Shape Properties

He said some of the existing mall will be used as part of the redevelopment.

“We’re making efficient use of the improvements (in the existing mall) that we can save,” he said, adding the company is also working on plans for an office building of 250,000 square feet.

The company said Deerfoot City will have a pedestrian-friendly network of outdoor streets and plazas. Fashion Row cuts through the centre of the development culminating at a collection of restaurants and patios surrounding the Central Plaza, Shape properties said.

The company calls the group of restaurants, to be known as Restaurant Row, “a key differentiator, offering an urban and eclectic collection of eateries.”

Photo by Supplied / Shape Properties

“Deerfoot City will be unique to suburban Calgary, and will meet the growing demand from leading retailers and restaurants looking for creative new places with a vibrant, rich social experience and urban feel that differentiates them from traditional malls,” said Kwiatkowski.

The transformation of Deerfoot Mall will occur over several phases.

Kwiatkowski said the developer’s thinking is that over the last 10 years there has been a shift to the outdoor retail experience.

“When we looked around North America at other markets and other cold markets like Chicago and Denver … it clearly works even in a cold environment,” he said, adding the developer is providing a different retail experience in Calgary than the traditional enclosed malls.

He said the location got overlooked in the past because the existing property was allowed to age.

“Retail is not passive real estate. You need to be continuing to refresh your offering with physical improvements and new tenancies,” said Kwiatkowski. “That opportunity on the Deerfoot that close to the heart of the city, 80 acres is unprecedented.

“And the way that the Calgary road system works, a lot of the traffic gets funnelled by the property as it heads north because on the east side you have the airport and on the west side you have Nose Hill Park. So all the new roads to a good chunk of the north comes past Deerfoot and right by the property. Its regional reach is phenomenal.”