Festival Bay Mall
In 1998, developer Belz Enterprises announced plans for a 1.1-million-square-foot (100,000 m2) shopping center, which would be built next to the company's existing Factory Outlet World and Designer Outlet Center complexes. Belz billed the mall as an "upscale entertainment complex" that would eschew traditional anchor stores in favor of unique retailers and entertainment venues. [3]
At the time of the mall's announcement, Bass Pro Shops had agreed to build a 162,000-square-foot (0.0151 km2) anchor store. [3] Later that year, Belz announced that Cinemark USA had agreed to build a 20-screen movie theater. [4] Both were the first Central Florida locations for their respective chains. In 1999, Ron Jon Surf Shop and Vans both announced plans for 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) stores, with Vans's containing an indoor skatepark. [5] Ron Jon's store would later be downsized to 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2). [6] Closer to opening, Sheplers Western Wear and Steve & Barry's University Sportswear were announced as additional anchors. [7]
Belz initially claimed that the mall would begin construction in late 1998 and open in 2000. [3] Cinemark opened in December 1999, [8] and Bass Pro Shops opened the following May. [9] However, construction on the mall proper did not begin until June 2001 due to permitting issues and difficulty securing tenants amid the early 2000s recession. [10] [11] [12] The mall officially opened on April 3, 2003, though many stores, including Ron Jon, did not open until later in the year. [12] In April 2004, one year after opening, Belz reported that the mall was 80% leased. [13]
In 2000, local architect C.T. Hsu announced plans for Factory Funhouse and Festival Boardwalk, a $60 million amusement park consisting of a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) indoor complex and a 15-acre (6.1 ha) outdoor boardwalk, which would serve as the mall's seventh anchor. [14] However, the project was put on hold in 2002 when an investor pulled out, [15] leaving the anchor plot at the mall's rear undeveloped. In 2004, it was announced that the plot would instead host Ron Jon Surf Park, a complex featuring multiple wave pools, a surfing academy, and a surfing gear shop. [16] However, construction was delayed due to high development costs and was put on indefinite hold in 2008. [17]
By late 2005, business at the mall had stagnated due to competition with The Mall at Millenia and Orlando Premium Outlets, as well poor visibility of the mall from Interstate 4 and a general decline in tourism. Belz contracted the mall's daily management out to General Growth Properties, who planned to more closely target local shoppers. [18]
The Steve & Barry's store closed in 2009 when the company when bankrupt. [19]
In late 2010, the mall was sold to Paragon Outlet Partners, a division of The Lightstone Group, for $25 million, [20] who planned to redevelop the site as an open-air center called Paragon Shoppes Orlando. [21] In January 2012, Vans Skatepark was closed when the company chose not to renew its lease. [21]
Artegon Marketplace
In March 2013, Paragon announced a $70 million renovation of Festival Bay Mall into Artegon Marketplace, an artisanal craft market. [22] Festival Bay's indoor lake and tile-mosaic signage was removed in favor of a modern industrial theme, and two-thirds of the mall's original retail space was converted into small stalls (40–300 square feet (3.7–27.9 m2) in size) for local artisanal vendors. [23] The mall's existing anchor stores were retained, and Vans Skatepark was redesigned and reopened as Radbourne Skatepark. [24]
Artegon Marketplace opened on November 20, 2014. [23] A second phase, which would renovate the rest of the mall and add a farmer's market in the former Steve & Barry's location, was planned. [25]
Artegon Marketplace closed on January 26, 2017. The closure was announced to tenants only two weeks prior, which led to larger tenants filing a lawsuit against Lightstone. As with the closure of Festival Bay, the mall's anchors, such as Bass Pro Shops and Cinemark, remained open. [26]
Dezerland Park Orlando
In January 2018, Dezer Development of Miami acquired the property, encompassing its 104 acres and 865,000-square-foot (80,400 m2) mall, for $23.7 million. The complex, now known as Dezerland Park, officially reopened in 2021. One of the site's focal points is the Orlando Auto Museum, which contains a collection of automobiles and automotive memorabilia previously located at the Miami Auto Museum at the Dezer Collection in North Miami, Florida. Dezerland Park contains Florida's largest indoor karting track, as well as a 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) trampoline park, bowling, laser tag, bumper cars, and arcade. [27]
LYNX : 8, 24, 42, 304
