North Texas Malls Make Own Plans To Reopen

Shopping Mall
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DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - Malls, restaurants and movie theaters can open with reduced capacity Friday in Texas, but not every shopping center is planning to open right away. The businesses can open with 25 percent capacity starting Friday.

Simon Property Group owns 21 malls and shopping centers in Texas. The company plans to open all of those properties Friday. In North Texas, that includes:

  • Allen Premium Outlets
  • Firewheel Town Center
  • Grand Prairie Premium Outlets
  • Grapevine Mills
  • North East Mall
  • The Shops at Clearfork
  • University Park Village
  • Music City Mall In Lewisville

Simon Property Group says employees, contractors and vendors will be required to take their temperature before leaving home and will be told not to come to work if they have a temperature of 100.4 or are showing flu-like symptoms. The company says people working at the malls will wear face masks and shoppers are encouraged to do the same.

The company says food court seating will be limited. Play areas, valet stations and other "high-interaction" areas will be closed. Simon Property Group says floor decals will be placed to "encourage better traffic flow."

Details on Simon Property Group's plan to open are available here.

Golden Triangle Mall in Denton also plans to open Friday with hours from 11-7 Mondays through Saturdays and 12 pm-6 pm Sundays.

Galleria Dallas says it will open Monday. The mall says it is using the extra time to disinfect the entire building and hire an outside company to review the steps taken to ensure cleanliness.

"We will continue to maintain that level of cleanliness throughout," says Galleria Dallas' Holly Quartaro.

Quartaro says each store will be required to maintain their own capacity at less than 25 percent. She says stores' capacities are set based on their square footage.

The Galleria itself will use parking garage counters to monitor the number of people on the property. Valet services will not be available.

"This is more about being safe and making sure we are providing the space to provide adequate social distancing," Quartaro says.

She says employees and visitors will be required to wear facemasks as well. Galleria Dallas will also have these restrictions in place:

  • Food Place seating will be temporarily removed.  Food Place items must be taken to go.
  • The Children’s Play Place will be temporarily closed.
  • To limit contact, Galleria Dallas Concierge+ services such as curbside delivery and package check will not be offered.
  • Enhanced cleaning practices will be employed.
  • Common area seating will be removed or spaced for social distancing.
  • Signs will be located throughout the building reminding guests of social distancing.

Stores at Galleria Dallas can continue to offer retail-to-go once the mall itself reopens. She says retail-to-go through Westin Drive will be available ongoing, but each store will be able to choose whether to offer the service.

"I think everyone's excited to be able to open again and get back to doing business, but also a little cautious," Quartaro says. "I think that's okay. I think that's the right place to be."

Galleria Dallas will be updating its website, with a list of stores that will be open.

The operator of Hulen Mall and the Parks at Arlington, Brookfield Properties, says curbside pick-up will continue, but the company does not have a date to reopen for in-person shopping.

"The well-being of our guests, tenants and employees is our highest priority, and we will reopen our centers when we are ready to do so," Brookfield Properties wrote in a statement.