Terrence Maiden aims to uplift communities overlooked by other developers, and he’s well underway on the $200 million rejuvenation of the former RedBird Mall south of Dallas in Oak Cliff, the very community in which he grew up.

The 100-acre project, backed by investor Peter Brodsky, received a $22 million incentive grant from the city of Dallas in 2018, and infrastructure improvements are underway. The DeBartolo family opened the mall in 1975, and 45 years later, Maiden plans to demolish a third of it to create a promenade, visible just to the right of the original mall structure in the rendering below. In the existing south wing of the mall, at the top of the rendering, a 43,000-square-foot Parkland Hospital regional medical center is under construction. In the east wing, within the former Sears on the left of the rendering, design work is underway on a 150,000-square-foot campus for UT Southwestern Medical Center. Both will bring health care options to the underrepresented community. Maiden also is in talks with grocery stores.

Elsewhere on site, Chime Solutions opened a call center for more than 500 employees. Palladium USA is building 300 apartments, and a Courtyard by Marriott is scheduled to break ground in 2021, both rendered on the right in the above image. Maiden says the live-work-play development will generate more than 1,000 jobs in Oak Cliff, including those at Chime Solutions, and will add green spaces and family entertainment for the live-work-play community.

Made for this project

Development and rejuvenation work like what’s going on at RedBird Mall would be Maiden’s specialty even if he didn’t grow up in the area. As former executive vice president of development at Corinth Properties, Maiden helped develop Glen Oaks Crossing, Canyon in Oak Cliff and Alexan West Dallas. He also helped redevelop the Richardson Square Sears. “Sometimes you find your calling in life, and sometimes your calling finds you,” said Maiden.

He credits fellow Texas Christian University alumnus Dale Ladner — founder and president of Omni Group, a retail developer — with helping him find his path in commercial real estate. Maiden received a Bachelor of Science in engineering with a minor in business from TCU. He and twin brother Tim, a banker, both football players there, were inducted into the TCU hall of fame in 2015.

Maiden began his real estate career with The Woodmont Co., spending several years leasing and developing in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and North Dakota. He then worked in corporate real estate at Piada Italian Street Food and other fast-casual restaurant chains. He opened more than 60 Panda Expresses, making him the top producer during his three years there, and at Panera Bread, he managed real estate development and opened more than 95 cafes in 11 central U.S. states.

In late 2019, Maiden founded real estate development and investment company Russell Glen, of which he is managing partner and CEO. The company is now the RedBird redevelopment manager of record. “I launched Russell Glen with an emphasis on reimagining urban, disenfranchised communities not only locally but also on a national level,” he said.

Maiden is looking for more urban impact projects in the top 50 U.S. metros. “It takes a lot of courage, patience and perseverance to go into urban communities and try to revitalize them,” he said.

Those are qualities Maiden already has shown. This year, he and Tim will finish the transition of their Two Wins Foundation, launched in 2012, into the Maiden Foundation. The new foundation will employ social investing tools to expand opportunities for disenfranchised communities. “We are excited about the fiscal impact that we can have on families and communities,” he said. The brothers’ foundation already runs two youth-related projects: More than 100 high school men have participated in the Elevate leadership academy, a partnership with UNT Dallas. And Rising Sons, a strategic partnership with Dallas County Community College District, enables young men earn to college credit through a leadership development program.