A discount retail chain and a Coney Island diner are headed to the site of Lincoln Park's long-shuttered Sears store, city officials announced last week, marking the latest step in the transformation of a shopping center that once anchored Downriver Detroit's retail scene. Five Below and an as-yet-unnamed Coney Island restaurant are the newest tenants confirmed for the property at Dix Highway and Southfield Road, joining a Chick-fil-A that opened there earlier this year.
Lincoln Park City Manager Lisa Griggs announced the two new businesses during a city council meeting last Monday, according to MLive. Five Below, a Philadelphia-based discount retailer known for selling toys, electronics, beauty products, candy, and home decor, will join the Coney Island restaurant at the development, though neither business has an anticipated opening date, per the same report. Griggs did not respond to MLive's request for additional information yesterday, and the Coney Island restaurant's name has not been made public.
A Site With Deep Downriver Roots
The property, now referred to as the Downriver Development, sits on the former Lincoln Park Shopping Center, which for decades was anchored by a two-story Sears store, the outlet's report notes. That Sears location, which opened on August 16, 1956, spanned 270,000 square feet and was the largest Sears store in the world at the time, according to BestAttractions. The store served as Downriver Detroit's primary suburban retail anchor for much of the second half of the 20th century.
The shopping center's fortunes shifted after 2005, when the nearby Fairlane Green commercial development opened just a mile north in Allen Park, drawing away national retailers including Old Navy and Dunham's Sports, BestAttractions reports. Sears eventually closed the store in early 2019, and the surrounding strip mall had already been demolished in 2018, leaving the site largely vacant. The main 270,000-square-foot Sears building itself wasn't torn down until crews began demolition in April 2024, wrapping up that September.
From Political Rally Stop to Redevelopment Zone
The property's history stretches beyond retail. Former President Ronald Reagan held a campaign rally at the Sears Lincoln Park Shopping Center on November 1, 1984, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, underscoring the site's one-time status as a regional gathering spot. Ownership passed through Seritage Growth Properties, a real estate investment trust spun off from Sears Holdings in 2015 to monetize former Sears real estate nationwide, per Grokipedia. Seritage sold the 15.9-acre parcel to AF Jonna Development Group in 2022.
AF Jonna won municipal approval for a $14.5 million brownfield redevelopment plan from Lincoln Park officials in March 2023, as reported by CBS Detroit. That plan calls for quick-service restaurants, discount retail, commercial condos, and a hotel to replace the blighted structure. Chick-fil-A became the site's first operational tenant, opening at 2060 Southfield Road on April 2, per MLive, bringing about 120 jobs to Lincoln Park and featuring local branding that pays homage to the historic Sears water tower, according to Discover Downriver.
What's Still Unconfirmed
Planet Fitness was previously announced as a tenant for the development, and Burlington Coat Factory has been floated as a possible future addition, though MLive's report notes that Burlington's involvement has not been finalized. Firm opening dates for Five Below and Planet Fitness remain unclear, as does the timeline for completing the remaining retail condos and the planned four-story hotel.
Coney Island diners are a Metro Detroit institution with roots tracing back to early 20th-century Greek immigrants who served natural-casing hot dogs topped with beanless beef chili, mustard, and diced onions, according to ClickOnDetroit. Those diners evolved into the region's iconic 24-hour eateries, typically serving broad diner menus alongside their namesake hot dogs, and the unnamed restaurant joining the Lincoln Park development would follow that regional tradition.
Part of a Broader Retail Push
The addition of Five Below to the Lincoln Park site fits into the chain's larger Michigan expansion. As of July, the Philadelphia-headquartered retailer operated about 2,000 stores across 47 states, including 65 locations in Michigan, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, part of a national strategy targeting high-density suburban shopping corridors.
Chick-fil-A's presence at the site also reflects a broader corporate expansion across the state. In September 2024, the chain announced plans to open 25 to 30 new Michigan locations by 2028, projecting more than 2,500 total jobs statewide, as Hoodline previously reported. The chain has since opened locations across Metro Detroit, including in Royal Oak and at 8 Mile and Woodward.
