Phase II of the multi-phased strategy to expand, reconfigure and redevelop Garden City Center, Rhode Island's outdoor shopping venue, has begun as work gets underway with the demolition of the former Border's location to make way for a new two-level 38,000 s/f LA Fitness.
Construction of the new building will begin this summer, and LA Fitness is expected to open in late December.
At the same time, Garden City Center has signed a multi-year 5,850 s/f lease to bring the first Corner Bakery Café to Rhode Island. Anticipated to open late this year as part of Phase II, Corner Bakery Café will be located in space formerly occupied by large format stores (Circuit City and Linens n' Things) that are being transformed into smaller shops offering 2,700 to 7,000 s/f spaces for a variety of specialty retailers.
Also in the village, the revitalization of several longtime retailers, including Sweenor's Chocolates and Starbucks continues.
"We are always looking for ways to differentiate Garden City Center, and the transformation of the former large format stores into smaller spaces gives us the flexibility to offer options to unique local, regional and national retailers that we previously couldn't accommodate," said Thomas Wilder, a principal of The Wilder Companies, the management company for Garden City Center.
"The reconfiguration of these large spaces into smaller shops, next to the new Pottery Barn building, combined with enhanced pedestrian and vehicular connections, really expands the Village shopping experience which is one of our major goals," said Andrew LaGrega, another principal of The Wilder Companies.