Beneath the roofline at Provo Towne Centre
The escalators at Provo Towne Centre split the concourse in two, rising from tile paths that once ran beneath JCPenney, Sears, Dillard's, and the glow of Cinemark.
When the mall opened in 1998, those names pulled steady traffic from neighborhoods and highway exits across Utah Valley.
By 2002, General Growth Properties owned the site. Later, automotive displays filled vacant anchor floors while foot traffic shifted past closed gates.
In 2024, Target opened on the south side, but only through an outdoor entrance. The inside mall no longer connects to it.
Now, plans on city office tables show housing in place of the rotunda.
But the skylight still filters sun onto the floor where people used to wait - some standing, some spinning quarter machines near the rail.
Foundations and Early Growth
Provo Towne Centre opened in 1998 with four anchor tenants: JCPenney, Sears, Dillard's, and Cinemark.
The mall was built on a large parcel along Towne Centre Boulevard, with two levels of interior walkways and escalators connecting the retail wings.
Before construction ended, developer JP Realty filed a lawsuit against the city of Orem, saying that city incentives were intended to keep ZCMI from moving to Provo.
During that period, Provo's city council asked for a different name, Utah Valley Towne Centre, but the developer chose to keep the original branding.
The mall attracted steady visitors from surrounding neighborhoods and regional corridors, offering the usual mix of apparel, home goods, food court options, and movie theaters.
In 2002, General Growth Properties acquired the center as part of its purchase of JP Realty's full portfolio.
The management changed, but the property's basic retail structure stayed the same.
During the early 2000s, the mall's schedule included holiday sales, back-to-school promotions, and clearance racks lining the main corridors.
The food court was located in a central area below a skylight.
Anchor stores brought people through different sections, and shoppers passed glass storefronts with hours posted on the doors.
In late afternoon, the skylight created long shadows across the floor, repeating the same shapes each season.
Changing Anchors and Tenant Shifts
Anchor stores at Provo Towne Centre have changed several times in recent years.
Sears closed its Provo store in July 2017, part of a national plan affecting 30 locations.
The space that had held washers and denim remained empty until 2020, when Automotive Addiction moved into the first floor.
The museum filled the former department store with classic cars and memorabilia, using the vacant space for displays.
That setup lasted until February 2024, when Automotive Addiction relocated to a lower level near JCPenney, leaving the old Sears area empty again.
Dillard's announced its departure in January 2020, with plans to move to University Place in Orem.
This left JCPenney as the only remaining department store anchor at the mall.
The Cinemark theater continued to operate, offering movie screenings as retail spaces around it changed.
Each anchor change shifted where people walked, leaving some hallways quieter and bringing visitors to new parts of the mall for a time.
In February 2023, it was announced that Target would move into the space formerly used by Dillard's.
Construction was finished quickly, and Target opened on April 9, 2024, on the south side.
Unlike the original department stores, Target can only be accessed from the outside.
Shoppers enter straight from the parking lot, with no way to get into the main mall from inside the store.
Hypercraft and the Reuse of the Sears Space
In 2020, Hypercraft began renting a section of the old Sears at Provo Towne Centre for electric vehicle work.
The company started with 4,000 square feet, then expanded to 10,000 square feet in Suite D.
The space that once displayed appliances now holds benches for battery assembly, wiring, and junction box work. Motors are shipped from California, but most other tasks are done on-site.
The building no longer functions as a retail space. In mid-2025, the location had over fifty workers, and Hypercraft had raised $26 million in its Series A funding to support its expansion.
The Redevelopment Proposal
In May 2025, Brixton Capital submitted an entitlement application to Provo City with a plan to remake Provo Towne Centre.
The proposal would replace much of the existing indoor mall with a mix of retail, dining, offices, entertainment, and housing.
The project includes both for-sale townhomes and rental apartments, and the plans show outdoor walkways and a new public plaza where the central rotunda is now.
According to the plan, JCPenney, Cinemark, and the new Target would stay as anchors, while the interior mall corridors would close as entitlements and leases end.
The redevelopment would move forward in phases, with new construction gradually taking the place of the enclosed mall and forming open, mixed-use blocks.
The proposal details more than 1,300 apartment units, at least 80 townhomes, and some affordable housing among the new units.
Project documents call for new streets and gathering spaces, changing how the site is laid out and used.
Community Response and Public Meetings
In June 2025, Provo City Hall held a Neighborhood District 5 meeting where Brixton Capital and PEG Development presented their redevelopment plans for Provo Towne Centre.
The proposal covers 23 acres, reaching the edge of the neighboring Shady Acres Mobile Home Park, and includes more than 80 townhomes and over 1,300 apartment units.
Public discussion focused on housing, affordability, and how current residents would be affected.
Three percent of the new housing would be set aside for households earning sixty percent of the area's median income.
Residents of Shady Acres, located inside the project area, wanted to know if they might have to move and how much advance notice they would get.
Utah law requires nine months' notice for residents if the property is rezoned.
The meeting also covered topics like local traffic, walkability, and what new services or facilities might be added.
City officials collected comments, and the project team explained that changes to the site would happen in phases.
Attendees reviewed site diagrams and asked about plans for old buildings.
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