Central Mall Redevelopment Remains Active as Developer Lists $183 Million District 135 Project

A proposed redevelopment involving Salina’s Central Mall remains listed as an active economic development project, with new developer information now putting the estimated cost at more than $183 million and projecting completion in 2028.

The latest information does not mean the full project or its financing has received final approval. However, public economic development records provide a timeline showing the project continued moving through the development process after it was first discussed in 2025 and even after significant storm damage closed the interior of Central Mall in April.

November 2025: Developers Working With City on STAR Bond District

The Salina Community Economic Development Organization’s November 20, 2025 board packet included a specific update titled “Central Mall Project Overview.”

According to the EDO minutes, project developers were working with City of Salina staff to create a STAR Bond district for the area and intended to submit an application by the end of 2025.

That document is important because it establishes through an official economic development record that the Central Mall proposal had progressed beyond simply being a concept presented publicly. Developers and City staff were working on formation of the financing district and a state application.

April 27 Storm Damages Central Mall

The situation surrounding the property changed on April 27, 2026, when severe weather caused significant damage to Central Mall.

The mall’s interior has remained closed since the storm.

Central Mall itself continued to report as recently as Sunday, August 9 that the interior was closed because of damage dating to April 27 and that there was no set timeline for reopening.

The closure of the existing mall, however, does not appear to have ended the larger redevelopment effort.

June 2026: EDO Still Lists Destination Salina as “Active”

The strongest current public record comes from the Salina Community EDO’s June 2026 Prospect Table, included in the organization’s June 18 board packet.

The document lists:

Project 25-11: Project Destination Salina

The project is identified as a City Project and its status is specifically marked:

Active

The same EDO document states that the project had been:

“Submitted to KDOC”

The Kansas Department of Commerce is the state agency responsible for administering the STAR Bond program.

The June document continues to describe Destination Salina as a:

“$146 M Star Bond Project”

It identifies the proposed uses as:

Convention Center / Hotel / Retail

The property is identified as:

Mall Property

And the proposed work is described as:

“Demo, Remodel and Build Hotel.”

Perhaps most notably, the EDO added the notation:

“Storm Impact on Building?”

That means the June economic-development record was not simply carrying forward information from before the April storm without acknowledging what had happened. The storm's effect on the building was specifically identified while the project itself continued to be classified as active.

Developer Now Lists $183.27 Million “District 135”

There is now another development that substantially changes the dollar amount associated with the project.

CR Holland Real Estate currently lists a Salina project called “District 135 at Salina” among its development projects.

CR Holland describes District 135 as a mixed-use redevelopment that would transform an existing underperforming mall into a regional shopping, dining, lodging and entertainment destination.

The company lists the project components as:

Entertainment complex

Retail

Hotel and convention center

Multifamily housing

Pedestrian-oriented public spaces

CR Holland identifies the financing/development tool as STAR Bonds.

It also identifies its role as Master Developer and STAR Bond Implementation Lead, including work involving project planning, tenant negotiations, financial modeling and district formation.

The developer now lists an estimated project cost of:

$183,270,141

It also lists a:

Projected Completion: 2028

That figure is approximately $37.1 million above the $146 million amount still appearing in the EDO’s June Destination Salina project listing.

The public records reviewed by Salina311 do not provide an explanation for that increase.

What can safely be reported is that CR Holland is currently promoting a Salina mall redevelopment called District 135 with substantially the same development elements and a $183.27 million estimated cost.

What Has Been Confirmed

The documentary timeline establishes several things.

In November 2025, the Salina Community EDO reported that Central Mall project developers were working with City staff to establish a STAR Bond district and submit an application.

By June 2026, after the April storm, the EDO listed Project Destination Salina as active, said it had been submitted to the Kansas Department of Commerce, continued to identify it as a $146 million STAR Bond project, and identified the mall property for demolition, remodeling and hotel construction.

CR Holland now publicly lists a Salina mall redevelopment called District 135, identifies STAR Bonds as its development tool, puts the estimated project cost at $183,270,141, and projects completion in 2028.

And as of August 9, Central Mall itself said the mall interior remained closed following the April 27 storm with no established reopening date.

Where the Central Mall Project Stands Today

Based strictly on available public documents, the clearest description is this:

The Central Mall redevelopment remained active as of the Salina Community EDO’s June 2026 records and had been submitted to the Kansas Department of Commerce as a proposed $146 million STAR Bond project. Meanwhile, CR Holland is currently promoting a $183.27 million Salina mall redevelopment called District 135, with a projected 2028 completion date.

The records show continued development activity.

They do not yet show final approval of a $183 million project.