An artist’s rendering of preliminary plans for Urban Outfitters’ $100 million Devon Yard complex, as viewed from the northeast. (Image courtesy of Urban Outfitters)
Urban Outfitters has been a visionary retailer and would not be a cookie-cutter developer, Ziel promised.
“When you see a lifestyle center you often see a Chico’s, a J. Crew, a Cheesecake Factory. That’s not what we’re about,” he said. “We wanted to take this really unique environment and mix it with the right tenants to create a consistent experience, a place where people will want to come and stay for a while.”
He said his company would take its usual “reclaimed natural materials, found objects approach” to construction. The hotel will be made with Amish stonemasons. “Our attention to detail and authenticity is bar none. Everything will look like it’s been there a long time,” he promised.