Lincoln, a Dallas-based real estate firm, has partnered with New York Life Investment Management to turn the shuttered Greenspoint Mall into a $150 million industrial park. The project, called CityNorth Industrial Park, will sit on the 80-acre site at 12300 North Freeway near Interstate 45 and Beltway 8.
The mall closed more than two years ago. Now Lincoln says it will demolish the old building starting in October and build a 1.2-million-square-foot facility that will employ about 1,200 full-time workers when it opens. The first phase is expected to be finished during the first quarter of 2028.
The Site’s Location
The property’s position was the main reason Lincoln chose it. According to the announcement, the site is close to major roads and sits at the edge of Houston’s growing need for warehouses and distribution centers.
Kevin Wyatt, executive vice president for Lincoln, framed the change as a chance to put a valuable piece of land back to work. “Greenspoint Mall was an important part of North Houston for nearly five decades, and its redevelopment represents a defining opportunity for the area,” he said in a statement. “CityNorth Industrial Park will return a prominent property to productive use and support the continued growth of the Greenspoint community.”
Houston’s Backing
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has pushed for the project since he took office. In a statement released by Lincoln, he said the park would create jobs, bring businesses back to the area and improve life in Greenspoint.
“As a longtime Houston resident, I have witnessed both the proud days of Greenspoint Mall and the unfortunate neglect the mall and the Greenspoint community have suffered for too long,” Whitmire said. “I have worked hard with Lincoln and other stakeholders to make Greenspoint and, by extension, the Aldine ISD community regain its once-proud stature with the redevelopment that will bring us the CityNorth Industrial Park.”
The project will also draw support from the Greater Greenspoint Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, which the City of Houston created. Lincoln did not say how much help the zone would provide.
What Gets Kept
Not everything from the old mall will disappear. The existing Fitness Connection will be kept inside the new development, according to Lincoln.
Demolition begins in October. The first phase is set to open in early 2028.
The Numbers Behind the Project
- Project cost: $150 million
- Site size: 80 acres
- New space: 1.2 million square feet
- Jobs created: About 1,200 full-time positions
- Demolition start: October
- First phase completion: First quarter of 2028
| Phase | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Demolition | October |
| Construction | Ongoing |
| First phase open | Q1 2028 |
The redevelopment follows a familiar path for dead malls across Texas. Empty retail centers often get torn down and replaced with warehouses and distribution centers, since those uses tend to fill faster than new stores can.
What sets this project apart is the scale and the political push behind it. Lincoln and New York Life are betting that Houston’s demand for warehouse space will keep the park full after it opens. The mayor’s office sees the project as a way to bring back some of the life the mall once carried.
Whitmire’s history with the site gives him a personal stake in how it turns out. He described seeing the mall’s best days and its worst, and now he is working to rebuild what he called the community’s “once-proud stature.”
The project has a clear schedule and a clear goal. Whether the park lives up to the promise of 1,200 jobs remains to be seen, but the direction is set. The old mall is coming down, and the city wants something better to take its place.
Source material: “Greenspoint Mall site to be redeveloped into $150M CityNorth Industrial Park,” Houston Public Media.
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