Clackamas Town Center, the regional mall a few minutes from most Happy Valley homes, is in the middle of its most visible reinvention in years. Empty department store anchors are filling with entertainment, dining, and everyday services, and the changes are starting to open now. If you live in the valley, or you are considering a move here, here is what you should know about the current lineup and what is still on the way.
Buffalo Wild Wings, open in the old Sears space
Buffalo Wild Wings opened in early September inside part of the former Sears store. It joins Dick's Sporting Goods, which has been operating on the ground level of the same footprint since 2020. The arrival of a major national restaurant in a literal converted department store is a good symbol of where the mall is headed: fewer racks of clothing, more reasons to come and stay a while.
The former Nordstrom building: four new uses
The bigger story is the roughly 120,000 square feet the old Nordstrom left behind when it closed in 2020. Owners are dividing it for four tenants, each aimed at a different part of a family day out:
Sky Zone, the indoor trampoline park, is taking the large lower level and is targeting a fall opening. Movement Climbing, Yoga & Fitness, a bouldering gym from a brand with a devoted following, plans to open in 2027. Kids Empire, an indoor children's playground chain, is set for the upper level this fall. And a new Oregon DMV office is planned for part of the building, which means that errand everyone dreads may get a lot more convenient for residents on this side of the metro.
What it means for the neighborhood
For Happy Valley buyers and sellers, this matters more than the mall's foot traffic. Retail and services within minutes are one of the strongest quality-of-life arguments for this corner of Clackamas County. When we describe the commute to new buyers, we point at Clackamas Town Center the way other suburbs point at a downtown: it is where your Saturday errands, a rainy-day kid outing, and an evening out can all land within one parking lot.
The takeaway
The anchors of the future here are trampoline parks, climbing walls, restaurants, and a DMV, which is to say the mall is becoming a services hub for the families around it. For anyone weighing Happy Valley against a farther-out suburb, the balance keeps tilting toward the valley. We track these changes on our Community Calendar and in the blog, and we are happy to walk you through how the neighborhood is evolving when you tour with us.