Grandscape, a major development in The Colony in the works for several years, is slowly opening.
The large $1.5 billion project next to Nebraska Furniture Mart was always going to open in phases, but it was expecting to be more of a lively place by now. A grand opening had been scheduled for mid-April.
“We’re now in a soft opening," said Katie Wedekind, marketing and leasing director for Grandscape. “We’re all learning together and adjusting to whatever is currently normal. Right now, it’s pretty quiet.”
One of Grandscape’s major tenants, sporting goods superstore Scheels, opened May 1 when Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the stay-at-home order. But the 331,000-square-foot store with an aquarium inside has another major attraction, a 65-foot Ferris wheel that hasn’t started operating to abide by social distancing rules.
Grandscape has new features in its extensive outdoor and landscaped areas that are responses to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hand-washing stations have been added. Signs have been installed to remind people to keep their distance. Touch-screen features have been disabled and retrofitted with QR codes that allow people to explore the directory on their personal devices, Wedekind said.
Lawn and board games have been removed. A schedule of live events and concerts at Grandscape’s 55-foot stage have been postponed. Instead, the stage’s three LED digital boards are showing movies, TV shows, cartoons and some of the “best sports games of the century,” Wedekind said.
“Everything is very passive. But at least it’s a place where people can come and get out of the house,” Wedekind said.
A few restaurants are open with mostly takeout service. Much of the furniture is movable, so people can spread out to eat or just sit a while, she said. Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse has opened for seated dining. Several more restaurants and stores are scheduled to open later.
Andretti’s Indoor Karting & Games opened for a couple of weeks in March and has been temporarily closed. The 15-screen Galaxy Theatres was part of an original phase that was already set for July.
Traffic has picked up a little since the neighboring Nebraska Furniture Mart opened on May 4. People are curious to see what’s on the other side of the 455-acre development.
“We’re confident everything will eventually open,” Wedekind said. “We just had to push pause.”
Twitter: @MariaHalkias
Looking for more retail coverage? Click here to read all retail news and updates. Click here to subscribe to D-FW Retail and more newsletters from The Dallas Morning News.
