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BOWIE, MD-Developer JBG Rosenfeld Retail has finalized plans for Phase II of the redevelopment of the 33-year-old Free State Mall, a 281,000-sf shopping center that has been taking a new shape under the owner's guidance over the last couple of years.

This second phase, as recently presented to the Bowie City Council, calls for the demolition of part of the older section of the mall, which will be replaced with a new 73,000-sf space for Giant Food. Additionally, this phase calls for the development of a new 10,000-sf pad building in place of the recently demolished Amoco gas station.

The entire redevelopment endeavor is essentially restructuring what was an old 323,000-sf mall in to a smaller but more modern, progressive and better-designed shopping destination, according to company officials. "Given the elimination of the mall space in this phase, JBGR will rename the property Free State Shopping Center, a moniker that more accurately represents the new design and layout of the retail center," says Jim Garibaldi, JBGR principal. The company expects to get started on construction during the spring, with a projected opening date for Giant Food in the summer of 2006.