The $78 Million Project Reviving Bloomingdale's Dead Mall

Bloomingdale’s former Stratford Square Mall is gone, and the project replacing it has grown considerably. First introduced as a $78 million redevelopment, The Grove at Bloomingdale is now being described as a roughly $375 million investment.

That is a big number. But if you are buying or selling a home nearby, the more important question is what has actually changed on the ground.

Some pieces are under construction. Restaurants have committed. Other major elements, including roughly 280 planned homes, still have important steps ahead. Those differences matter when you are deciding what to offer for a house or how much to ask for yours.

The Grove is a meaningful redevelopment, but there is not yet evidence that it has increased nearby home values. You can be excited about what is coming without paying for appreciation that has not happened.

From Stratford Square Mall to an 87-Acre Redevelopment

For years, Stratford Square was the kind of place where you handled Christmas shopping or spent a Saturday afternoon with friends. It opened in 1981 with plans for about 180 tenants.

Starting in 2014, the department stores that anchored the property began disappearing. Those losses gradually weakened the enclosed mall, which permanently closed on April 21, 2024.

Getting from a struggling mall to a redevelopment site took more than drawing up a new plan. The Village of Bloomingdale had to assemble parcels across separately owned department store properties before it could move forward.

The village spent roughly $17 million assembling the mall property, including an $8.75 million purchase of the interior finalized in January 2024. It then budgeted approximately $4.7 million for demolition.

That demolition is complete. Kohl’s is the only original store still standing, operating as a freestanding building. Around Schick Road and Springfield Drive, the old enclosed mall has been replaced by open ground, construction fencing, and active building work.

The next chapter is The Grove at Bloomingdale, a mixed-use district covering close to 87 acres.

Why the Headline Changed From $78 Million to $375 Million

When the village first unveiled The Grove branding, it described a $78 million project. Less than a year later, after restaurant and recreation commitments were added, the redevelopment was being discussed at approximately $375 million.

It is tempting to read that as a straightforward construction cost overrun. That is not something the available information establishes.

The village has not published a detailed breakdown connecting the two figures. The larger number followed additional private investment commitments, so it appears to reflect a broader redevelopment picture rather than simply a revision to the same original construction budget.

For now, I treat $375 million as the current headline figure, not a fully explained accounting of every project expense.

The project also involves a dedicated tax increment financing district, commonly called a TIF district, and general obligation bonds authorized up to $52 million. Those financing tools help explain how the redevelopment is structured. They do not, by themselves, guarantee that every proposed feature will be delivered on a particular schedule.

What Is Planned for The Grove?

The idea is not to replace one enclosed shopping center with another. The Grove is planned around restaurants, recreation, housing, and outdoor spaces that give people reasons to stay awhile.

The central features include:

• A large man-made lake with water features and surrounding gathering areas.
• An event lawn designed to accommodate activities such as summer concerts and convert to a seasonal ice rink.
• Walking paths and public space connecting different parts of the district.
• A dog park with its own food and drink component.
• Restaurants and indoor recreation intended to create regular activity.
• Roughly 280 homes as the residential portion of the redevelopment.

That combination could create a very different experience from the mall it replaces. But a proposed lake, a signed restaurant deal, and a building with walls going up are three different levels of progress. They should not carry the same weight in a real estate decision.

What Is Actually Being Built?

Bloomingdale Yard Is Moving Beyond the Rendering

The clearest physical progress is the approximately 100,000-square-foot indoor sports and family recreation center, Bloomingdale Yard.

Plans include multisport fields, a child care center, after-school programs, and an interactive playroom for younger children. The operator already has experience with this model through facilities including Westmont Yard and another location near Milwaukee.

Vertical construction began in June 2026. By late that month, prefabricated walls were going up. The target opening is in the first half of 2027.

That is a meaningful milestone. An operating facility is still the goal, but actual construction gives the project more substance than a concept drawing alone.

Five Restaurants Have Committed

The dining lineup includes familiar suburban names alongside operators entering a new market:

• Gia Mia: Known locally for wood-fired pizza, and personally one of my favorite suburban restaurant groups.
• Hacienda Real: Bringing a modern Mexican dining option.
• Game On: A sports bar concept.
• Loretta’s Last Call: A Southern-inspired food and entertainment concept.
• A contemporary Greek restaurant: A still-unnamed concept from Chicago’s Forte Hospitality Group.

Bloomingdale is planned as the first location outside New England for Game On and Loretta’s Last Call. The five restaurants are targeting openings by the end of 2027.

Several deals involve operators purchasing the land they will build on rather than signing conventional storefront leases. That is part of why the village views these commitments as more firmly established.

Still, a signed deal is not an open restaurant. Target dates remain targets until construction, approvals, and opening preparations are complete.

The Housing Is Still the Biggest Unfinished Commitment

The roughly 280 planned homes are at a different stage. The village has not finalized a contract with a residential developer, and there is no firm construction start date for that portion.

That is not necessarily unusual. A large residential development can involve more regulatory steps and a larger construction undertaking than an individual restaurant or recreation building.

But it is an important distinction for nearby homeowners. The restaurants and recreation center have commitments and visible progress behind them. The housing still needs a signed agreement before its schedule becomes more concrete.

If you are tracking one major next milestone, track the residential developer contract. Until that is finalized, the housing component remains less certain than the pieces already moving forward.

What Other Chicago-Area Mall Redevelopments Tell Us

Bloomingdale is not the only suburb trying to give an aging mall property a new purpose. Three nearby projects show why it is important to separate approved plans from completed construction.

Golf Mill in Niles: Approval Does Not Guarantee a Start

Golf Mill received approval in June 2024 for a redevelopment valued at more than $440 million. The village authorized up to $96 million in reimbursements as development occurred.

The proposal included new retail, a promenade, a central water feature, and around 300 residences in its first phase.

Two years later, the property had been offered for sale and was listed as under contract, without major demolition or construction underway. The lesson is straightforward: a municipality can approve an ambitious plan and establish financing, but developers still have to build it.

Fox Valley Mall in Aurora: A More Developed Example

Fox Valley Mall is further along. Its Lumen and Lucca apartment developments are completed and occupied, adding nearly 630 residential units.

Lucca also introduced tens of thousands of square feet of public space. Additional housing and a senior living component remain planned.

This is a more useful example of what mall redevelopment can look like after substantial delivery, rather than only at the announcement stage.

Old Orchard in Skokie: Multiple Projects, Separate Timelines

Westfield Old Orchard’s first redevelopment phase was approved at roughly $100 million, with around 400 residential units planned alongside retail and public space. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027 and take about two years.

Skokie also approved updated plans to convert two older office towers into 245 residences. That is a separate project from the mall’s residential phase, although together the developments could add well over 600 homes.

The takeaway is not that Bloomingdale will follow any one of these paths. It is that announced investment, approved development, active construction, and completed space are different milestones.

Has The Grove Increased Bloomingdale Home Values?

At this point, there is no demonstrated Grove-related premium in nearby home prices. There is also no local study connecting the redevelopment to a measurable change in surrounding property values.

The market figures discussed alongside the project provide useful context:

• Recent Bloomingdale closed sales have been landing in the mid-$400,000s.
• Broader estimated home values have been somewhat higher, in the upper $400,000s.
• Many homes have reached an accepted offer in roughly a week and a half.
• DuPage County’s median sale price has been around the mid-$400,000s, with annual growth in the mid-single digits.
• County inventory has been approximately two and a half months of supply, which remains tight.

Those numbers describe a market with limited supply. They do not prove that The Grove is driving prices.

At the development stage described here, the recreation center is not open or accepting members, the restaurants have not opened, and the lake has not been built. Buyers should not confuse future amenities with amenities they can use today.

Property taxes also deserve attention. Using the roughly 2.16% effective rate cited for DuPage County, a $450,000 home would carry approximately $9,700 in annual property taxes. That is a planning estimate, not a substitute for checking the specific property’s bill.

Buying Near The Grove: Do the Homework Before Offering

My advice is simple: base your offer on today’s comparable sales, not the hoped-for value of a finished redevelopment.

Near-term appreciation across the western suburbs has been running in the low to mid-single digits. If a purchase only makes financial sense because you expect The Grove to push prices substantially higher, you are relying on a benefit that has not appeared in the data.

For a home immediately near the site, ask practical questions before getting attached:

• How does construction affect access around Schick Road and Springfield Drive?
• What are the current construction hours?
• Where are construction trucks traveling?
• How close will future buildings be to nearby residential streets?
• What could the site look like from the property during the next several years?

None of this automatically makes a nearby home a bad purchase. It simply belongs in the conversation before you write an offer, not after you move in.

Selling Near The Grove: Tell the Story Without Overpricing

Sellers have more concrete information to share now than when the redevelopment existed only as renderings. Named restaurants and a recreation building under construction give buyers something specific to evaluate.

That is worth explaining accurately. It is not a reason to price ahead of the market.

Gia Mia and Hacienda Real may be appealing additions, but restaurants targeting late 2027 do not change today’s comparable sales. Buyers will also want answers about truck routes, construction timing, access, and future views from the backyard.

The strongest approach is to separate what is complete, what is committed, and what remains planned. Present the opportunity honestly, acknowledge the disruption, and support the asking price with current sales.

The Next Milestone Matters More Than the Biggest Number

The Grove is already beyond the announcement stage. Stratford Square has been demolished, the recreation center has walls going up, and restaurants have committed to the site.

That is real progress. The unsigned residential contract is also a real limitation.

For buyers and sellers, both things can be true. Bloomingdale is making a substantial investment in what comes next, but the full project is not finished, and its effect on nearby home values remains unproven.

A construction fence does not establish a higher comparable sale. Neither does an impressive rendering. Make the housing decision work with today’s numbers, and treat future redevelopment benefits as potential upside rather than a guarantee.

If you are considering a move in Bloomingdale or the surrounding Chicago western suburbs, my team and I would be honored to help you evaluate the property, the current market, and how this project fits into your plans.