Malls · Puerto Rico
Plaza De Diego Mall
Opened 1983. Closed 2020. Redeveloped in 2023.
Status nowDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
documented
The mall had been closed for several years by 2014 and it would be demolished in 2020
What it becamehousing, retailextracted, unreviewed reported
Site size140,000 sq ft GLAextracted, unreviewed reported
Retrofit year2023extracted, unreviewed reported
Walkability7.3 of 20 · 15-minute 6 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mYes · Opportunity ZoneOpenStreetMap, HUD
Claim this site Deal kit Ask who owns this https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/pr/rio-piedras-plaza-de-diego-mall/
More
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. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile13 elements · what this site is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Finance and pipeline
Recorded loan
This site: 11000000.0 Bankers Finance Mortgage Corp. research-deals · all sites with thisPlace
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)
This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with thisGrocery within 800 m
This site: 11 stores openstreetmap · all sites with thisLower-income tract (< $50k)
This site: $13,510 census-acs · all sites with thisNational Register place within 500 m
This site: Casa Vigil; Edificio Comunidad de Orgullo Gay de Puerto Rico nps-nrhp · all sites with thisOpportunity Zone
This site: 72127008900 hud-oz · all sites with thisRail within 800 m
This site: Río Piedras, Universidad openstreetmap · all sites with thisRenter-majority tract
This site: 83% census-acs · all sites with thisShrinking county
This site: -1.7% census-acs · all sites with thisTract income flat or down since 2013
This site: +8% census-acs · all sites with thisStrategy
Redeveloped
This site: De Diego Village, the multifamily housing project extraction · all sites with thisNew use
Housing
This site: De Diego Village, the multifamily housing project The redeveloped site includes a $34 million extraction · all sites with thisRetail (continued)
This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed documentedThe mall had been closed for several years by 2014 and it would be demolished in 2020 |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed documentedThe 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 |
| New uses | housing, retailextracted, unreviewed reported |
| What is there now | De Diego Village, the multifamily housing projectextracted, unreviewed documentedOn December 13, 2023, officials inaugurated De Diego Village, the multifamily housing project on the former Plaza de Diego Mall site. |
| Retrofit year | 2023extracted, unreviewed reported |
| Developer | Puerto Rico and federal government officialsextracted, unreviewed |
Links out
Every link is built from an id this record holds (parcel number, filer CIK, Wikidata item, Census tract, coordinates) or from the name and city typed into a search. Nothing here is a guessed address. Search links are marked search in their source note; commercial listing links are marked for search engines not to follow. Hover a link for why it is here.
Official records (5)
government and regulatory records for this site, built from ids on the record
- Census tract 72127008900 profile (data.census.gov)from data.census.gov
- Census tract 72127008900 on Census Reporterfrom censusreporter.org
- San Juan Municipio (72127) profile (data.census.gov)from data.census.gov
- FEMA flood map (NFHL) at this point (search)from msc.fema.gov
- EPA ECHO facilities within 1 milefrom echo.epa.gov
Reference (5)
encyclopedic and research references
- Wikipedia articlefrom en.wikipedia.org
- Wikidata item Q121854886from wikidata.org
- Wikimedia Commons photos within 500 mfrom commons.wikimedia.org
- Retrofitting Suburbia (book site)from retrofittingsuburbia.com
- Río Piedras, Puerto Rico on Wikipediafrom en.wikipedia.org
Place (8)
map and street views by coordinates
- Google Mapsfrom google.com
- Street Viewfrom google.com
- Bing Mapsfrom bing.com
- Apple Mapsfrom maps.apple.com
- OpenStreetMapfrom openstreetmap.org
- Walk Score at this pointfrom walkscore.com
- Transitland mapfrom transit.land
- USGS National Mapfrom apps.nationalmap.gov
Market (1)
listings and owner pages; commercial, so search engines are told not to follow
- LoopNet: for sale in Río Piedras, PR (search)from city search
News (2)
news searches and archived pages
- Google News: “Plaza De Diego Mall” (search)from name search
- Bing News: “Plaza De Diego Mall” (search)from name search
History and original facts
| Opened | 1983Wikidata reported |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2020Wikidata reported |
| Gross leasable area | 140,000 sq ftextracted, unreviewed documentedunder Sun Realty Corp., the by then 140,000 square foot Plaza de Diego Mall was being renamed |
| Original developer | Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc.extracted, unreviewed documentedIt would be developed by then owners Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc., and designed by Huyke, Colón y Asociados. |
| Architect | Huyke, Colón y Asociados |
| Anchors | Goody’s Department Store |
| County | San Juan Municipio |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres. Know it? Tell us.
Planning
| Public purchase or subsidy | yesextracted, unreviewed reported |
|---|---|
| Entitlement year | 2020extracted, unreviewed reported |
| Planning notes | The 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 reported |
Deals and debt
| Date | Event | Price | Parties | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Loan | — | Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc. · lender Bankers Finance Mortgage Corp. · loan $11.0M | Wikipedia |
Site context
| Transit within 800 m | Río Piedras, Universidad (rail); 6 bus stops within 400 mOpenStreetMap |
|---|---|
| Motorway junctions within 2 km | 4B, 5A, 5B, 6OpenStreetMap |
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 23: ALBANO DRY CLEANERS; AUTO KOOL INC.; CMS DR JAVIER JAVIER ANTON; COLEGIO DE LA MILAGROSA; DE DIEGO VILLAGEEPA FRS |
| Census tract 72127008900 | 1,508 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 Zone | yes, tract 72127008900 (rural)HUD |
| National Register places within 500 m | 2: Casa Vigil; Edificio Comunidad de Orgullo Gay de Puerto RicoNPS |
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Outlets at Montehiedra (6.9 km)computed |
| Overture Maps | no place match; building footprint 11,961 m², 12.6 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 380 since 2015; 380 in the last 12 months; peak 2026-08 with 105Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population -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 km | 2 LIHTC properties, 192 units: Santa Rita Apts (126 units); La Egida Del Perpetuo Socorro (66 units)HUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 22,537 jobs in 1,455 establishments; average annual pay $32,718; employment location quotient 0.90; employment -0.6% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | not a low-access tract at 1 mileUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Puerto Rico Department of Education (PK-12); 10 public schools within 1 mile: LCDO. GUILLERMO ATILES MOREAU; ELEMENTAL NUEVA DE SAN JUAN; SOTERO FIGUEROA; AMALIA MARIN PRIMARIANCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 94 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 1,636 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
- Category:Plaza De Diego Mall - Wiki… commons.wikimedia.org
- Plaza De Diego Mall - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
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.
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
- 1983 Opened (Wikidata)
- 1983 Plaza de Diego Mall inaugurated with three levels
- 1984 Pearle Vision Center opens on second level
- 1985 Arias men's clothing store opens
- 1987 Bankers Finance Mortgage Corp. grants $11 million loan for expansion
- 1989 Mall houses 40 stores with Goody's anchor
- 2006 Sun Realty Corp. renames mall to Río Piedras Profesional Mall
- 2014 Structural evaluation of former mall building
- 2019 Plans for redevelopment of former mall building begin as De Diego Village
- 2020 Closed (Wikidata)
- 2020 Plans unveiled for De Diego Village, a $34 million affordable housing complex
- 2023 De Diego Village multifamily housing project inaugurated
More photos
Before closure (1)
1984-08-13 · El Mundo, Public domain
Undated or in between (1)
Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc, Public domain
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