CityCentre
CityCentre is a walkable mixed-use lifestyle development in Houston, Texas, combining retail, restaurants, entertainment, offices, fitness, hotels, and residential properties.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
CityCentre is a mixed-use development and lifestyle destination in Houston, Texas, in the Memorial City area at the southeastern corner of Interstate 10 and Beltway 8. The project occupies approximately 50 acres and was developed on the former site of Town & Country Mall, a large enclosed shopping center that opened in 1983 and later declined as access conditions, regional competition, retail requirements, and shopper preferences changed. Midway Companies acquired the former mall property in 2004 and pursued a fundamentally different development model rather than rebuilding another enclosed shopping center. Construction of the outdoor development began in 2007. CityCentre was designed around pedestrian movement, outdoor public spaces, restaurants, entertainment, offices, residences, and service businesses. The project began opening in stages around 2009 and 2010. Its planning approach emphasized a compact, walkable environment in a metropolitan area commonly characterized by automobile dependence and low-density suburban development. The development was positioned as a place where visitors could dine, shop, work, exercise, stay overnight, attend events, and live without making separate car trips for every activity. The completed project is described as containing approximately 2.1 million square feet of gross floor area. Its components include roughly 400,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, and entertainment space; a fitness facility of about 149,000 square feet; approximately 425,000 square feet of office space; and a combination of rental and for-sale residential properties. Hotel Sorella and the Norris Conference Center are among the hospitality and meeting uses associated with the destination. Food and beverage tenants have included RA Sushi, Eddie V's, Cyclone Anaya's, Bistro Alex, and Sweet Paris, while retail and service offerings have changed over time. CityCentre's identity is based less on a single product than on the integration of multiple uses into a branded urban-style district. Outdoor plazas, streets, landscaping, dining terraces, events, and proximity between residential, commercial, and leisure uses are central to the experience. The destination has attracted both national and local retailers and restaurants, although individual tenants have opened, closed, or been replaced as leasing conditions and consumer demand changed. The project has been recognized by the Urban Land Institute as an example of walkable, higher-density development and progressive site planning in the United States. Its significance is also tied to the redevelopment of a failed regional mall site: the former Town & Country Mall struggled after the reconstruction of the Interstate 10 and Beltway 8 interchange reduced visibility and complicated access, while nearby Memorial City Mall regained competitive strength through redevelopment. CityCentre therefore represents a transition from enclosed regional retail toward a mixed-use, experience-oriented destination. It remains an active Houston development, although its tenant roster and specific mix of businesses continue to evolve.
History
CityCentre occupies the former Town & Country Mall site at Interstate 10 and Beltway 8 in Houston. Town & Country Mall opened in 1983 as a three-level enclosed shopping center intended to attract affluent shoppers and major department-store anchors. Its original or early anchor lineup included Joske's, JCPenney, Marshall Field's, and Neiman Marcus. Joske's later became part of Dillard's, while Marshall Field's was subsequently associated with Saks Fifth Avenue. During the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, Town & Country was a prominent regional shopping destination and competed directly with nearby Memorial City Mall. The mall's position weakened during the late 1990s. Reconstruction of the Interstate 10 and Beltway 8 interchange reduced the property's visibility from the highways, while frontage-road congestion and limited directional signage made access less convenient. The surrounding retail market also changed. Memorial City Mall began a major renovation program and eventually offered larger, more adaptable space. At Town & Country, portions of the upper level became vacant, the interior layout was increasingly regarded as difficult to adapt to contemporary retail requirements, and the property struggled to retain shoppers and tenants. JCPenney left in 2000, and by the early 2000s the mall had lost much of its former tenant base. Dillard's announced that it would relocate to Memorial City after its lease ended in 2003. By 2004, Neiman Marcus and a limited number of other stores were among the remaining occupants. The mall was largely demolished in late 2004, with Neiman Marcus initially expected to remain as part of a future redevelopment, although that store later closed and the building was ultimately removed. Parking structures were among the final remnants of the original complex. Midway Companies acquired the site in 2004 and chose to redevelop it as an outdoor mixed-use district rather than construct another conventional enclosed mall. Construction began in 2007. The project was named CityCentre and adopted a pedestrian-friendly plan intended to support walking between retail, dining, offices, homes, hotel uses, fitness facilities, and public spaces. The development's concept was particularly notable in Houston, where many suburban destinations are organized primarily around automobile access. The first elements opened around 2009, with the broader destination operating by early 2010. CityCentre eventually encompassed approximately 2.1 million square feet of gross floor space across about 50 acres. Its program included approximately 400,000 square feet devoted to retail, restaurants, and entertainment, a roughly 149,000-square-foot fitness facility, about 425,000 square feet of office space, and rental and non-rental residential developments. Hotel Sorella and the Norris Conference Center added hospitality and meeting functions. The tenant mix has included restaurants such as RA Sushi, Eddie V's, Cyclone Anaya's, Bistro Alex, and Sweet Paris, along with numerous retail, service, and leisure businesses. Some previously listed occupants, including Amegy Bank of Texas, Charming Charlie, Jamba Juice, Salata, Straits Restaurant, and Houston Texans Grille, later departed or ceased operating at the site. This turnover reflects the changing nature of a mixed-use leasing environment rather than a fixed department-store tenant structure. CityCentre has been recognized by the Urban Land Institute as a successful example of walkable, higher-density development and progressive site planning in the United States. Its broader historical importance lies in demonstrating how a failed regional mall property could be repositioned as an integrated lifestyle and urban-design project. CityCentre continues to operate as a Houston destination, with its exact retail and restaurant roster subject to change.
- 2010
CityCentre becomes operational as a major mixed-use destination
[1]The broader project opened with integrated retail, restaurant, office, fitness, hotel, conference, and residential components.
- 2009
Initial CityCentre openings
[1]Early portions of the new development began opening, introducing retail, dining, hospitality, and public-space uses.
- 2007
CityCentre construction begins
[1]Construction began on the outdoor, pedestrian-oriented mixed-use development.
- 2004
Midway Companies acquires the property
[1]Midway Companies acquired the former mall site and began planning a replacement mixed-use project.
- 2004
Town & Country Mall is largely demolished
[1]Most of the former enclosed mall was demolished, marking the end of the original retail complex.
- 2000
JCPenney leaves Town & Country Mall
[1]JCPenney departed as the enclosed mall entered a period of accelerating decline.
- 1989
Interchange reconstruction affects site visibility and access
[1]Rebuilding the nearby highway interchange reduced the mall's visibility and contributed to difficult access compared with competing retail properties.
- 1983
Town & Country Mall opens
[1]The enclosed Town & Country Mall opened at Interstate 10 and Beltway 8 with several major department-store anchors.
Products and positioning
A walkable, urban-style mixed-use lifestyle destination designed to combine shopping, dining, entertainment, work, hospitality, fitness, and residential living in one outdoor district.
Retail · 2010
Retail district
CityCentre's retail component consists of storefronts integrated into an outdoor, walkable district rather than a conventional enclosed mall. The roster has included fashion, specialty, beauty, home, financial, and service businesses, with individual tenants changing over time. The retail offer is designed to work alongside restaurants, offices, residences, hotel uses, and public gathering areas.
Dining and entertainment · 2010
Restaurant and entertainment precinct
Dining and entertainment are central to CityCentre's destination model. The development has hosted a mixture of national and local restaurants, including RA Sushi, Eddie V's, Cyclone Anaya's, Bistro Alex, and Sweet Paris, as well as other venues that have since departed. Outdoor seating, plazas, and pedestrian streets help make food and leisure uses part of the overall experience rather than secondary mall amenities.
Commercial real estate · 2010
Office space
CityCentre includes office buildings intended to place employment uses within the same district as retail, restaurants, homes, hospitality, and fitness. The office component is part of the project's strategy to support activity throughout the day and reduce the separation between commercial and lifestyle functions common in conventional suburban development.
Residential real estate · 2010
Residential developments
Residential properties form part of CityCentre's mixed-use program, providing rental and non-rental housing within walking distance of the district's shops, restaurants, offices, hotel, fitness, and event facilities. Their inclusion supports CityCentre's positioning as a place to live as well as visit or work.
Hospitality · 2010
Hotel Sorella
Hotel Sorella is a hospitality component associated with CityCentre. Its presence extends the development's use beyond local shopping and dining by providing accommodation for visitors and supporting business, conference, and leisure activity within the district.
Meetings and events · 2010
Norris Conference Center
The Norris Conference Center provides meeting and event facilities within the CityCentre environment. It complements the office, hotel, restaurant, and public-space components and gives the development a business and gathering function in addition to its retail role.
Fitness and wellness · 2010
Fitness facility
A substantial fitness facility is included in the CityCentre master plan, with approximately 149,000 square feet identified in descriptions of the development. The facility contributes to the project's service and wellness offer and helps generate recurring visits independent of shopping.
Brand decisions
2007
Begin construction of CityCentreOtherBackground
The former mall site required a complete redevelopment after the enclosed shopping center was demolished.
Action taken
Construction began on a new outdoor district organized around pedestrian circulation and integrated commercial, residential, hospitality, and leisure uses.
Aftermath
The project began opening in 2009 and became broadly operational in early 2010.
2004
Replace the enclosed mall with a mixed-use lifestyle districtStrategyBackground
Town & Country Mall had lost major tenants and shoppers after years of access difficulties, changing retail requirements, and competition from the redeveloped Memorial City Mall.
Action taken
After acquiring the property, Midway Companies pursued an outdoor, pedestrian-oriented development combining retail, restaurants, entertainment, offices, residences, hospitality, fitness, and meeting facilities.
Aftermath
The strategy produced CityCentre, which opened in stages around 2009 and 2010 and was later recognized as an example of walkable mixed-use planning.
Recent events
- 2010
CityCentre opens as an outdoor mixed-use destination[1]
Product launch
CityCentre opened in stages around 2009 and 2010 with retail, restaurants, offices, residential properties, hospitality, fitness, and event uses.
- 2007
Construction begins on CityCentre redevelopment[1]
Other
Construction started on the new outdoor mixed-use project at the former mall site, introducing a pedestrian-oriented development model.
- 2004
Midway Companies acquires former Town & Country Mall site[1]
M&A
Midway Companies acquired the declining Town & Country Mall property and began the process of replacing the enclosed mall with a mixed-use development.
Sources2 sources
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