As students return to campus, they may find signs for the Carousel Center Mall hard to come by. In the beginning of August, the Carousel Mall celebrated its rebranding, replacing all of its signs and officially taking on its new identity as Destiny USA.

“We’re extremely excited to begin this new chapter as the mall undergoes many changes,” said Destiny USA executive Sara Wallace.

With the expansion, the mall will occupy a 2.4 million square-foot property, making it the sixth largest mall in the United States, according Destiny USA’s website.

The expansion of Destiny USA is expected to be complete at the beginning of 2013, with more than 260 tenants within its facility, spanning from dining and entertainment to luxury outlets, chain retail and specialty stores, according to an AugustDestiny USA news release.

Since the expansion began, several new tenants have already opened their businesses.  Cantina Laredo, a Mexican restaurant; The Melting Pot, a fondue-oriented restaurant and Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth are a few that have opened, Wallace said.

Gordon Biersch Brewery Pub, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Funny Bone Comedy Club, AJA nightclub, Regal Premium Experience and Regal IMAX theaters, and Revolutions Entertainment, a bowling and recreation center, are expected to open before the year’s end as well, but their opening dates have not yet been announced, Wallace said.

One of the main motivations for the rebranding and expansion of the Carousel Center was the mall’s central location in the Northeast. The major target markets within this area include eastern Canadians, tourists, SU students and regional residents, Wallace said.

The shopping center extends its reach to 5.5 million people within a two and a half hour drive of the facility, according to the release. Oxford Economics, an economics forecasting consultancy, projects that 29 million people will visit Destiny USA annually, making it the second most visited mall behind Minnesota’s Mall of America, according to the release.

This summer’s development also included a 300-foot-long, climate-controlled pedestrian bridge that links the mall’s west auxiliary parking lot near Solar Street to the second story of the expanded mall, Wallace said.

“The bridge brings a sleek architectural addition to the expansion that enhances the rebranding of Carousel,” she said.

Common Councilor Patrick Hogan said he supports the project and is pleased with the shopping center’s expansion. The Carousel Center and its Destiny USA expansion fall in Hogan’s District 2.

Though the rebranding of Carousel Center will not include the construction of an Erie Canal replica, aquarium, water park or 39-story hotel as once promised, Hogan said he believes Pyramid Cos., the developer of Destiny USA, brings positive change to the city.

Said Hogan: “The project is not as large as we once thought, but we can still celebrate the economic engine that it has become for our community with all the construction and retail jobs that the mall continues to create.”

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Published on August 21, 2012 at 11:08 pm

Contact Alexandra: [email protected] | @LexieHitzler