Foothills Mall looks to future

FORT COLLINS – Just as the Christmas shopping season raises hopes for the retail sector, hopes are rising that Foothills Mall in Fort Collins may be poised for a revival.

Its owner, Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc., emerged from bankruptcy last month after filing for Chapter 11 protection in April 2009. The second-largest mall owner in America, GGP owns and operates about 185 malls including Foothills Mall, once Northern Colorado’s dominant shopping center.

GGP was able to emerge from bankruptcy after filing a reorganization plan that spun off its real estate development company, Howard Hughes Corp., and by…