The Mall at Wellington Green

The Mall at Wellington Green is a two-level super-regional shopping mall in Wellington, Florida, United States. It opened on October 8, 2001, serving Wellington and the surrounding Palm Beach County market. The property was developed as a large destination retail center with several department-store anchors and a broad collection of specialty retailers, restaurants, services, and entertainment venues. Its original anchor lineup consisted of Burdines, Dillard's, JCPenney, and Lord & Taylor. The mall's opening occurred after the Florida division of Jordan Marsh had ceased operating, making Wellington Green and Pembroke Lakes Mall notable South Florida malls that opened without a Jordan Marsh location. The property experienced several significant tenant changes during its first two decades. Nordstrom opened a store at the mall in fall 2003, two years after the center's opening, but closed the location in 2019. Burdines was converted first into a dual-branded Burdines-Macy's operation in 2003 and then became Macy's in 2005. Lord & Taylor closed in 2004, after which its building was divided among several furniture and home-furnishing tenants. City Furniture occupied the lower level, while Ashley Furniture and La-Z-Boy occupied portions of the upper level from 2007. La-Z-Boy later departed in 2014, and its space was converted for cinema use. Entertainment became a more prominent part of the mall's tenant mix when Paragon Theaters opened on February 10, 2017, in the former La-Z-Boy space. The cinema operation was acquired by CMX Cinemas later that year, on September 19, 2017. The mall's current principal tenants identified in reference material include Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, Ashley Furniture, City Furniture, and CMX Cinemas. The surrounding commercial district also includes the Shoppes of Wellington Green lifestyle center and Wellington Green Commons, a power center anchored by Whole Foods Market. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, plans were developed for a major redevelopment extending from the former Nordstrom site into part of the mall's parking area. The proposed project was to include a Crystal Lagoon, apartments, restaurants, and outdoor entertainment. Local environmental opposition and complications associated with the pandemic contributed to the abandonment of that proposal. Redevelopment discussions resumed in the 2020s as the property faced changing consumer habits, department-store closures, and the loss of Nordstrom. In 2023, Wellington's village manager publicly acknowledged that the mall was no longer the same type of destination it had been at its peak. A later proposal reported for 2026 would convert the former Nordstrom site into a 620-unit apartment complex with three seven-story buildings, a clubhouse, and a parking garage across approximately 18.4 acres. The mall therefore remains an active regional retail property while also being considered for a more mixed-use future.

The Mall at Wellington Green opened on October 8, 2001, in Wellington, Florida, as a two-level super-regional shopping mall. Its initial department-store anchors were Burdines, Dillard's, JCPenney, and Lord & Taylor. Lord & Taylor's presence came from the relocation of its former Palm Beach Mall store. The mall opened without a Jordan Marsh location because that retailer's Florida division had ceased operating before the center opened; Pembroke Lakes Mall was another South Florida mall affected by the same market change. The tenant composition began changing soon after opening. Nordstrom added a fifth major department-store anchor in fall 2003, approximately two years after the mall's launch. In the same year, Burdines adopted the Burdines-Macy's name as part of the transition toward the Macy's brand. The store became simply Macy's in 2005. Lord & Taylor closed in 2004, and its former building was subsequently divided into multiple home-furnishing spaces. City Furniture took the lower level in 2007, while Ashley Furniture and La-Z-Boy occupied upper-level space. La-Z-Boy left the property in 2014. Its former space was converted for cinema use, allowing Paragon Theaters to open on February 10, 2017. The theater business was acquired by CMX Cinemas on September 19 of that year. This added a substantial entertainment component to the mall's offering and complemented its existing retail and dining functions. Nordstrom ultimately closed its Wellington Green store in 2019, leaving the former anchor site as one of the property's most important redevelopment opportunities. The mall is part of a larger commercial district that includes the Shoppes of Wellington Green lifestyle center and Wellington Green Commons, a Whole Foods Market-anchored power center. Together, these properties create a broader retail environment serving residents and visitors in Wellington and nearby communities. A major expansion and redevelopment concept was considered before the COVID-19 pandemic. It would have extended outward from the former Nordstrom location into the parking lot and included a Crystal Lagoon, residential apartments, restaurants, and outdoor entertainment uses. The proposal encountered opposition from environmentalist residents and was eventually dropped amid complications associated with the pandemic. As the mall confronted the structural pressures affecting enclosed shopping centers, including changing shopping patterns and the loss of a major department-store anchor, redevelopment discussions re-emerged. In 2023, village manager Jim Barnes was reported as saying that the mall was not the destination it had once been. A proposal reported for 2026 would replace the former Nordstrom site with a 620-unit apartment development consisting of three seven-story buildings, a clubhouse, and a parking garage. The proposal illustrates the property's potential transition from a conventional enclosed mall toward a mixed-use retail and residential setting.

• 2026

  Apartment redevelopment proposal reported

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  Bainbridge Communities was reported to have proposed a 620-unit apartment complex on the former Nordstrom site.

• 2023

  Future redevelopment discussions resume

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  Reports described renewed consideration of redevelopment after an earlier Crystal Lagoon and mixed-use concept was abandoned.

• 2019

  Nordstrom closes

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  Nordstrom ended its tenancy, leaving a major former anchor site within the mall complex.

• 2017

  Cinema operation launches and changes ownership

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  Paragon Theaters opened on February 10 in the former La-Z-Boy space; CMX Cinemas acquired the operation on September 19.

• 2014

  La-Z-Boy closes

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  La-Z-Boy left the mall, creating space later used for a cinema.

• 2007

  Former Lord & Taylor building is subdivided

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  City Furniture, Ashley Furniture, and La-Z-Boy occupied portions of the former Lord & Taylor building.

• 2005

  Burdines becomes Macy's

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  The Burdines-Macy's store adopted the Macy's name.

• 2004

  Lord & Taylor closes

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  Lord & Taylor ended its tenancy at the mall, leaving its former anchor building available for subdivision and reuse.

• 2003

  Nordstrom opens and Burdines adopts dual branding

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  Nordstrom opened at the mall in fall 2003, while Burdines began operating under the Burdines-Macy's name.

• 2001

  Mall opens

  [1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  The Mall at Wellington Green opened on October 8 with Burdines, Dillard's, JCPenney, and Lord & Taylor as its principal anchors.

A large regional shopping and entertainment destination serving Wellington and the wider Palm Beach County area, with a tenant mix centered on department stores, furniture retailers, dining, and cinema.

• Retail · 2001

  Department-store retail

  The mall's department-store offer is centered on Dillard's, JCPenney, and Macy's. These stores provide broad assortments spanning apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, home goods, and other general merchandise. Dillard's and JCPenney have operated at the property since its 2001 opening, while Macy's occupies the space that evolved from the original Burdines and Burdines-Macy's operation.

• Home furnishings · 2007

  Furniture and home furnishings

  Furniture retail is a distinctive part of the mall's current anchor mix. City Furniture occupies the lower level of the former Lord & Taylor building, while Ashley Furniture occupies upper-level space. Their presence reflects the reuse of a former department-store anchor for larger-format home-furnishing retail.

• Entertainment · 2017

  CMX Cinemas

  CMX Cinemas operates the mall's cinema venue. The theater space originated with Paragon Theaters, which opened in February 2017 after the departure of La-Z-Boy. CMX acquired the operation in September 2017, making cinema entertainment a continuing component of the center's tenant mix.

• 2026

  Proposed residential redevelopment of former Nordstrom siteStrategy

  Background

  The former Nordstrom location became a major vacant or underused site after Nordstrom closed in 2019 and earlier mixed-use redevelopment plans were abandoned.

  Action taken

  Bainbridge Communities reportedly proposed a 620-unit apartment complex with three seven-story buildings, a clubhouse, and a parking garage across approximately 18.4 acres.

  Aftermath

  The proposal indicates a possible shift toward mixed-use or residential reuse of surplus mall property; its final approval and implementation are not established in the supplied material.

  Source

• 2017

  Cinema opens in former La-Z-Boy spaceProduct launch

  Background

  La-Z-Boy closed its mall location in 2014, creating an opportunity to repurpose the space for entertainment.

  Action taken

  Paragon Theaters opened a cinema on February 10, 2017.

  Aftermath

  The cinema was acquired by CMX Cinemas on September 19, 2017, and continued operating as an entertainment anchor.

  Source

• 2007

  Reuse of the former Lord & Taylor anchorStrategy

  Background

  Lord & Taylor closed its store in 2004, leaving a large anchor building that required a new tenant strategy.

  Action taken

  The building was divided into multiple spaces for City Furniture, Ashley Furniture, and La-Z-Boy.

  Aftermath

  The former department-store footprint continued to generate retail use through a combination of home-furnishing tenants.

  Source

• 2003

  Burdines transitions to Burdines-Macy'sStrategy

  Background

  The mall's original Burdines anchor was affected by the broader transition of the Burdines name toward Macy's.

  Action taken

  The store adopted the Burdines-Macy's dual brand before ultimately becoming Macy's in 2005.

  Aftermath

  The property retained a major department-store anchor under the Macy's identity.

  Source

• 2026

  Proposal reported for apartments at the former Nordstrom site[1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A proposal attributed to Bainbridge Communities would redevelop the former Nordstrom site as a 620-unit apartment project with three seven-story buildings, a clubhouse, and a parking garage on approximately 18.4 acres.

• 2023

  Redevelopment discussions return for The Mall at Wellington Green[1]The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Reports described renewed consideration of future redevelopment for the mall and its surrounding property after earlier plans were abandoned. Wellington village manager Jim Barnes commented that the mall was no longer the same destination it had once been.

1. 1The Mall at Wellington Greenen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Mall at Wellington Green official websiteshopwellingtongreen.com