Foothills Mall official opening set for Nov. 13

FORT COLLINS — An evening of holiday festivities on Friday, Nov. 13, will mark the official opening of the $313 million Foothills Mall redevelopment in Fort Collins, Alberta Development Partners announced Wednesday – even though some tenants may not open until 2016.

The event will feature a holiday tree-lighting ceremony, performances by local music groups, free photographs with Santa Claus, an appearance by Colorado State University mascot Cam the Ram, food sampling from Foothills restaurants and prizes including general-admission movie tickets for a year at the new nine-screen Cinemark theater.

Two-thirds of the available retail space in Foothills’ first phase “will be leased and/or open” for the official opening, according to an Alberta spokesman, with 85 percent leased by summer 2016.

Some tenants plan to open early. Nordstrom Rack has set an Oct. 22 opening, while the movie theater will open Oct. 30.

Tenants currently open, including those that have remained open during the renovation, include Maurice’s, Buckle, Jewelry Emporium, Chicago’s, Bath and Body Works, Payless Shoe Source and Zumiez.

According to Alberta Development, the tenants that will be open in time for Foothills’ official opening include Finish Line, Victoria’s Secret, Ross, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Zales Jewelers, Gymboree, Van’s, H&M, Bar Louie, Verizon, Smashburger and Francesca’s.

“On behalf of all of our retailers, I invite everyone in Fort Collins to join us in celebration of the holidays and the opening of Foothills, which I’m confident will deliver a thriving, vibrant retail and community experience for many years to come,” said Don Provost, founding principal of Greenwood Village-based Alberta Development Partners, in a prepared statement. “The holiday opening festivities will be the perfect time to get a first taste of what Foothills has to offer – unique-to-market retailers and restaurants, state-of-the-art entertainment, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces.”

Work began in August 2014 on redevelopment of the 77-acre shopping and entertainment center, on South College Avenue and East Foothills Parkway in midtown Fort Collins, but inclement weather in the first half of this year led to 82 lost workdays, according to representatives of Alberta Development.

When complete, the redevelopment will include 365,321 square feet of retail space in the enclosed mall, 278,744 square feet of detached retail space and the three-level, 24,659-square-foot Foothills Activity Center which replaces the old Youth Activity Center that had been at the corner of Monroe and Stanford drives.

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