Civil engineering plans for the former Regency Square Mall show initial plans that include seven outparcels along the front and a good portion of the East Mall to be demolished.
Blackwater Development and EnVision Design + Engineering LLC submitted civil engineering plans to the city Sept. 24 that provide a clearer look at what might be planned at the 58-year-old mall.
The mall at 9501 Arlington Expressway is at northwest Arlington Expressway/Atlantic Boulevard and Monument Road in Arlington.
Lake City-based Blackwater bought the bulk of the mall, while Impact Church, the Dillard’s Clearance Center and the closed Sears are separately owned and are not part of the redevelopment plans.
The mall stretches west to east, north of the expressway and Atlantic Boulevard, between Southside Connecter and Monument Road.
The closed Sears store anchors the west end, the closed JCPenney anchors the east end and Impact Church owns the former Belk store close to the center.
Civil engineering plans show:
• Seven outparcels of 1.1 to 2.25 acres along Arlington Expressway/Atlantic Boulevard to Monument Road.
• The existing auto store remains at the corner on Lot 7.
• The closed JCPenney store would remain as a freestanding building at the east end of the mall.
• The rest of the East Mall from Impact Church to the JCPenney store would be demolished.
• The closed West Mall from Impact Church to Dillard’s and Sears remains.
• A roundabout would be built at the front entrance into the property.
• There are parking lot, landscaping, pavement, driveway, sidewalk, curbing and other improvements.
The plans do not identify what would be built on the site of the demolished mall property.
Jacksonville-based EnVision Design + Engineering said in drainage calculation report dated Sept. 24, 2025, that this part of the project would create commercial outparcels within the existing parking areas. The original mall building would be demolished to prepare for development.
The East Mall was built in 1967, while the West Mall was added in 1981-82 and more space was built in the early 1990s.
The next step
Blackwater Development announced Sept. 18 that it was taking the next step in the transformation of the property to launch the first phase of its redevelopment as The Nexus at Regency.
It said it was submitting an application for civil engineering permits with the initial phase focusing on the front 11 acres along Atlantic Boulevard and Monument Road.
Blackwater Development said the area is designed “to set the tone for the broader 77-acre project.”
It said the permits would encompass construction of new roads and infrastructure providing access to future outparcels; the installation of water, sewer and electric systems to service the outparcels; development of a new roundabout at the main entrance; and a landscaping plan.
“These infrastructure improvements represent the foundation of The Nexus at Regency. With roads, utilities, and landscaping in place, we can begin unlocking the front 11 acres and creating opportunities for new tenants to join this transformational project,” said Rurmell McGee, founder of Blackwater Development, in a news release.
Blackwater Development said it looks forward to announcing the first wave of tenants when agreements are finalized.
It also appointed Thomas Duke Architect as the principal architectural firm for The Nexus at Regency.
The purchase
Blackwater Development LLC bought the bulk of the mall property April 9 for $19.1 million from New York-based limited liability companies associated with Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group.
The West Mall has long been closed. The last two interior East Mall tenants closed May 31.
Blackwater Development bought 960,162 square feet of commercial space. Most of that space is expected to be demolished and the acreage redeveloped.
In April 2025, Blackwater paid $20,000 to the city to settle $1.922 million in code compliance fines that the seller piled up as the mall deteriorated with damaged ceilings, floors and other elements.
Blackwater has up to two years to comply with the settlement obligations or lose the money and face the resumption of fines.
One way to comply is demolition, which is what Blackwater intends to do.
Blackwater said upon the purchase that it will rename the property as The Nexus at Regency and redevelop it with multifamily residential communities, financial institutions and nationally recognized retail brands.
The plans so far
Previously filed plans have indicated 11 outparcels wrapping around the southeast corner of the property at Atlantic Boulevard and Monument Road.
Blackwater said previously that outparcels will be available for retail, bank and other uses.
City utility JEA issued a service availability determination letter April 30, 2025, for a 2,786-square-foot Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant on what appears to be Lot 1 at a main entrance into the mall.
JEA previously issued a determination letter Dec. 26, 2024, for a proposed 5,200-square-foot convenience store and gas station on what appears to be Lot 5. It is called “CK Atlantic Blvd & Monument Rd,” hinting that it could be a Circle K.
The existing Firestone auto care store is shown on the 1.23-acre corner Outparcel 7.