Retrofit Atlas

Malls · US

Plaza De Diego Mall

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedDemolishedRío Piedras

Opened 1983. Closed 2020. Redeveloped in 2023.

Status nowDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
What it becamehousing, retailextracted, unreviewed
Site size140,000 sq ft GLAextracted, unreviewed
Retrofit year2023extracted, unreviewed
Walkability7.3 of 20 · 15-minute 6 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mYes · Opportunity ZoneOpenStreetMap, HUD
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Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from.

Plaza De Diego Mall
Plaza De Diego Mall. Photo: Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Site profile13 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Finance and pipeline
Recorded loanThis site: 11000000.0 Bankers Finance Mortgage Corp. research-deals · all sites with this
Place
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 11 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
Lower-income tract (< $50k)This site: $13,510 census-acs · all sites with this
National Register place within 500 mThis site: Casa Vigil; Edificio Comunidad de Orgullo Gay de Puerto Rico nps-nrhp · all sites with this
Opportunity ZoneThis site: 72127008900 hud-oz · all sites with this
Rail within 800 mThis site: Río Piedras, Universidad openstreetmap · all sites with this
Renter-majority tractThis site: 83% census-acs · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -1.7% census-acs · all sites with this
Tract income flat or down since 2013This site: +8% census-acs · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: De Diego Village, the multifamily housing project extraction · all sites with this
New use
HousingThis site: De Diego Village, the multifamily housing project The redeveloped site includes a $34 million extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
StrategyRedevelopedextracted, unreviewed
New useshousing, retailextracted, unreviewed
What is there nowDe Diego Village, the multifamily housing projectextracted, unreviewed
Retrofit year2023extracted, unreviewed
RedeveloperPuerto Rico and federal government officialsextracted, unreviewed

Planning

Public purchase or subsidyyesextracted, unreviewed
Entitlement year2020extracted, unreviewed
Planning notesThe redeveloped site includes a $34 million affordable and multifamily housing complex named De Diego Village with 94 apartment units, of which 22 are accessible for mobility and two have sensory accessibility.extracted, unreviewed

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
1987Loan—Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc. · lender Bankers Finance Mortgage Corp. · loan $11.0MWikipedia

Site context

Transit within 800 mRío Piedras, Universidad (rail); 6 bus stops within 400 mOpenStreetMap
Motorway junctions within 2 km4B, 5A, 5B, 6OpenStreetMap
FEMA flood zoneX · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m23: ALBANO DRY CLEANERS; AUTO KOOL INC.; CMS DR JAVIER JAVIER ANTON; COLEGIO DE LA MILAGROSA; DE DIEGO VILLAGEEPA FRS
Census tract 721270089001,508 people, 7,128 per sq mi; median household income $13,510; median gross rent $569; 83% renters; 55.8% vacant units; 26.2% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 7.3 of 20; 270 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0; 62% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)6 of 6 daily needs: 11 grocers, 16 schools, 33 parks or playgrounds, 20 health, 25 civic, 84 food and drink; 0 cycleway segments, 15 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity Zoneyes, tract 72127008900 (rural)HUD
National Register places within 500 m2: Casa Vigil; Edificio Comunidad de Orgullo Gay de Puerto RicoNPS
Other atlas sites nearby1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Outlets at Montehiedra (6.9 km)computed
Overture Mapsno place match; building footprint 11,961 m², 12.6 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Attention: Wikipedia page views380 since 2015; 380 in the last 12 months; peak 2026-08 with 105Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population -41% (2,553 → 1,508); median income +8% ($12,493 → $13,510); renters 87% → 83%; median home value +67% ($111,300 → $185,600)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)insufficient data overall (score 0); expected annual loss $3.9M; community resilience data unavailableFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km2 LIHTC properties, 192 units: Santa Rita Apts (126 units); La Egida Del Perpetuo Socorro (66 units)HUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20231,636 establishments (-7%); 24,036 jobs (+1%)Census CBP

Summary, model-written

Plaza de Diego Mall opened in 1983 and grew to over 40 stores anchored by a Goody’s Department Store. After years of decline, it closed in 2020, was demolished, and the site was redeveloped into the De Diego Village multifamily housing project, which opened in 2023.

Why. The record shows a 1987 $11 million loan for expansion, a 2014 structural evaluation, and redevelopment plans beginning in 2019 that led to demolition for housing; specific anchor losses or competition are not stated.

Where it stands. The site is now occupied by the De Diego Village housing complex, developed by Puerto Rico and federal government officials.

For a planner

  • Public subsidy (yes) enabled the $34 million affordable housing component.
  • Entitlement was secured in 2020, allowing the redevelopment strategy to proceed.
  • The plan mixes housing with retail per the new_use field.
  • Open question: how the retail component will integrate with surrounding neighborhood and sustain long-term viability.

For a developer

  • Site originally comprised ~140,000 sf GLA; exact parcel size is not provided.
  • Control lies with Puerto Rico and federal government officials; prior owners include Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc. and Sun Realty Corp.
  • Entitlement stage: approved in 2020 with planning notes detailing the housing project.
  • Context‑layer constraints (flood risk, transit access, environmental conditions) and tract‑level market signals are not described in the record.

What we do not know yet

  • Exact site acreage, parcel boundaries, and current ownership after redevelopment are not specified.
  • Flood zone, transit proximity, and any environmental remediation needs are unknown.
  • Details on the retail portion of the new use (size, tenants, lease terms) are missing.
  • Financial performance or occupancy rates of De Diego Village are not provided.
  • Some fields (e.g., gla_sqft, year_retrofit, developer) are marked as extraction and the record is still in draft verification status.

Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Redlands Mall, Redlands, CA · Malls · similar GLA (173,000 sq ft); opened 1977; same strategy: redevelop
  • Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg, MD · Malls · opened 1978; closed 2023; same strategy: redevelop
  • Burlington Center, Burlington Township, NJ · Malls · opened 1982; closed 2018; same strategy: redevelop
  • Cache Valley Mall, Logan, UT · Malls · opened 1976; closed 2024; same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

Pages with photos

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • closed or demolished site (sourced)
  • already in play: under construction, approved, or sold to a developer with housing plans
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1983Wikidata
Closed2020Wikidata
Gross leasable area140,000 sq ftextracted, unreviewed
Original developerPlaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc.extracted, unreviewed
ArchitectHuyke, Colón y Asociados
AnchorsGoody’s Department Store
CountySan Juan Municipio
NotesWikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: acres. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Plaza de Diego Mall was an enclosed shopping mall formerly located in the Paseo de Diego area of Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. At its peak it had 40+ establishments, and was anchored by a Goody’s Department Store. The mall had been closed for several years by 2014 and it would be demolished in 2020, then redeveloped and turned into a housing project named De Diego Village which would officially inaugurate in 2023.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1983 Opened (Wikidata)
  2. 1983 Plaza de Diego Mall inaugurated with three levels
  3. 1984 Pearle Vision Center opens on second level
  4. 1985 Arias men's clothing store opens
  5. 1987 Bankers Finance Mortgage Corp. grants $11 million loan for expansion
  6. 1989 Mall houses 40 stores with Goody's anchor
  7. 2006 Sun Realty Corp. renames mall to Río Piedras Profesional Mall
  8. 2014 Structural evaluation of former mall building
  9. 2019 Plans for redevelopment of former mall building begin as De Diego Village
  10. 2020 Closed (Wikidata)
  11. 2020 Plans unveiled for De Diego Village, a $34 million affordable housing complex
  12. 2023 De Diego Village multifamily housing project inaugurated

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Plaza De Diego Mall · supports: after notes, gla sqft, original developer, public subsidy, status, strategy
    16 quoted sentences
    under Sun Realty Corp., the by then 140,000 square foot Plaza de Diego Mall was being renamed
    It would be developed by then owners Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc., and designed by Huyke, Colón y Asociados.
    On December 13, 2023, officials inaugurated De Diego Village, the multifamily housing project on the former Plaza de Diego Mall site.
    The mall had been closed for several years by 2014 and it would be demolished in 2020

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