Grand Prairie will have its first real shopping mall this late summer when the Paragon Outlet Mall opens in August.
After working with mall developers for the past five years, the city of Grand Prairie's Director of Economic Development Bob O'Neal said the construction near the intersection of Interstate 20 and state Highway 360 is about halfway complete.
Crews broke ground in July 2011 and have been working ever since.
O'Neal said hard economic times made this project a challenge.
"We really thought we had it going in 2007, and then it stalled out for three years," he said.
The 420,000-square-foot mall will have more than 100 stores, many of them catering towards the higher-end clientele with stores like Bloomingdale's, Coach, and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th all on the tenant list.
The outlets will provide more than retail and Grand Prairie expects to see a lot more revenue in the coming years.
"It's a real positive for our city. It means $4 million of new sales tax for us, and $2 million worth of property tax," O'Neal said.
News of the outlets progress has future shoppers smiling. Kay Monfrini, an Arlington resident, said, "I'm excited, because normally we have to travel pretty far to go to an outlet mall."
Lynn Raley has lived in Grand Prairie for 35 years, and says she has been waiting for a hometown mall for a long time. While high-end anchor stores are not her usual go-to, Raley says she's willing to give it a try. "I've never been to Bloomingdale's. I will go in it, see what it's like," she said.
