The long-stalled overhaul of Oviedo Mall is finally shaking loose, with developers a step closer to swapping the shuttered Macy’s for roughly 700 new apartments. About 400 units are slated for the former department store site on the east side of the mall and another 300 or so are planned for the west side, part of a broader push to reorient the aging center toward housing and everyday services. If the city signs off, crews would demolish the Macy’s building and start site work for apartments and a new public entrance into the mall.
The latest progress follows a crucial agreement among four property owners that had been blocking the makeover, according to Orlando Business Journal. That deal, after years of negotiations and clashing ownership interests, clears the path for the first phase of construction that has been talked about for a long time but never actually broken ground.
Plans for the Macy’s parcel
Public filings and media reports show the east-end parcel, about 15 acres where Macy’s once operated, is earmarked for roughly 400 market-rate apartments. Central Florida Public Media reported that this phase is being marketed as the Oasis at Oviedo Marketplace and has been linked to Picerne Real Estate Group, with a projected price tag of about $100 million for the buildout.
West-side phase and mall changes
On the opposite end of the property, a separate development team is pursuing approvals for around 300 additional apartments on the west side of the mall, which would bring the total to roughly 700 units. Spectrum News 13 noted that the city has already approved the plan for the Macy’s site, while the west-side proposal is still being reviewed.
Both projects fit into the mall’s ongoing strategy to weave in housing, dining, and service-focused businesses in an effort to boost foot traffic and keep storefronts filled, rather than relying solely on traditional retail that has been fading for years.
Kevin Hipes, the mall’s development director, told WESH that five different entities had to sign off on changes before anything could move forward. With that agreement now in place, Hipes said the development group can finally bring detailed construction plans to the city and estimated that ground could be broken near the start of 2027. The proposal calls for tearing down the old Macy’s building and replacing it with apartments and a new public entrance into the mall, WESH reported.
What happens next
Developers are now expected to file formal construction plans and apply for permits with the city. If officials give the go-ahead, demolition and site work would follow, according to Orlando Business Journal. Local coverage points out that the project had already been approved in concept once before but then sat on the shelf for years, a delay that city staff and the developer say the new ownership agreement is designed to fix. Oviedo Community News previously chronicled those earlier approvals and the stalled timeline that followed.
Neighbors and small businesses are now watching the clock. City traffic studies, drainage mitigation, and school-impact reviews are expected to be baked into the permitting process, while the mall keeps trying to reinvent itself with new tenants and dining concepts. Recent openings and the mall’s shift toward more experience-oriented spots have been covered through recent openings, as the property tries to prove it can still be a regional draw, even as its former big-box anchors give way to apartments.
