What’s the progress on the old PV Mall area?

If you grew up around here in the '90s, you probably have a Paradise Valley Mall story.

Maybe it was the food court. Maybe the movie theater. Maybe it was walking around for three hours with your friends while pretending you weren't hoping to run into your crush.

PV Mall had all the usual mall culture stuff. You'd get dressed up in whatever you thought looked cool at 14, wander around with absolutely nowhere important to be and somehow make an entire afternoon out of it.

So even though the mall was clearly showing its age by the end, watching the mall itself get demoed to the ground still felt weird.

Now the weird part has been replaced by something a lot more fun: watching PV fill back in.

For a while, driving past Tatum and Cactus mostly meant looking at dirt, construction fences and renderings of things that weren't there yet.

And there’s still plenty more on the way, including:

Then there is AVE Paradise Valley, the 400-residence apartment community already open for residents.

AVE has a resort-style pool and hot tub, 24/7 fitness center and yoga studio, coworking and conference spaces, outdoor courtyards and firepit lounges, EV charging, a dog park and even a pet spa.

The easiest way to explain what feels different about PV might be a pretty normal family night.

Go to Blanco for dinner. Walk outside and let the kids run around the green space for a while. Cross the little street and grab gelato at Frost. Wander around a little before heading home.

That shouldn't feel particularly revolutionary, but in this part of Phoenix, it kind of does.

The Whole Foods itself may be the nicest grocery store in this part of town. And instead of sitting by itself in another giant parking lot, it is becoming one piece of a larger area where people can eat, work out, shop, live and spend some time outside.

Brad and I have already brought the kids to the green for New Year's Eve. We brought little sparklers, hung out on the grass and made our own family night out of it.

The green space also has a stage for outdoor movies, live music and other events.

Walk west from Blanco and the picture changes pretty quickly.

You're back in a construction zone. Among the projects taking shape:

As another big wave of PV is still being built, Costco still thrives and the old JCPenney is still...there.

At this point, the "STILL OPEN DURING CONSTRUCTION" sign may deserve its own historical marker when PV is finally reimagined.

There will always be some nostalgia for the old Paradise Valley Mall. It was part of growing up here.

But we're looking forward to what the new PV area is becoming. A lot is already open, plenty more is still being built, and we'll keep you updated as the rest fills in, Around Shea.