PANTHER CREEK GOT ITS GROCERY STORE BACK. THE REST OF THE WEST SIDE IS GETTING GYMS AND PLAYGROUNDS.

In September 2026, Panther Creek Village Center got a grocery anchor back after six years without one. Sprouts Farmers Market opened in the former Randalls space at 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive. Hello Woodlands reported that it is the chain's 500th store across 25 states. But Panther Creek is the exception. Two other village centers on the west side also lost their anchors, and neither is getting a grocer back. Even at Panther Creek, the next large tenant in line is an indoor playground. The centers built around a weekly grocery run are being refilled with places you visit for a workout, a birthday party or an appointment.

SIX YEARS BETWEEN RANDALLS AND SPROUTS

The Randalls at Panther Creek closed in 2020. In March 2025, Community Impact reported that Sprouts was headed to the site and expected it to open in 2027. It opened about a year early.

The local reports give different opening dates. Woodlands Online and Hello Woodlands both said the doors would open at 7 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, after a 6:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting. Woodlands Online added that this was a change from the originally announced Friday opening. In a later story, Community Impact gave September 10, citing a store representative. Either way, the store has been open for about a month.

Sprouts takes up about 30,000 square feet of the center. The store's in-house extras include fresh sushi rolled daily, with a $5 special every Wednesday.

WHY SPROUTS AND NOT THE USUAL GROCER

The grocery-store question goes back to how the village centers were designed. As Community Impact explained in October 2025, each village center was planned as a community hub with a grocery store as its anchor. Then Randalls and Kroger closed several stores in the region.

The same story explains why the obvious replacement never showed up. Wade Greene of Colliers in Houston told Community Impact that H-E-B is the grocer most in demand in the regional retail market, but the vacant village-center spaces sit too close to existing H-E-B stores. Craig Eissler, vice chair of The Woodlands Township board, told the outlet that the pandemic and delivery services changed how people shop for groceries.

Regency Centers, which leases the centers, described its approach in the same article.

"In The Woodlands, we see opportunities beyond traditional grocers, including fitness, medical and service-driven uses that still draw consistent traffic and support neighboring retailers," Regency senior leasing agent Rip Reynolds told Community Impact.

A year later, the three west-side centers look the way that quote suggests.

THREE EMPTY ANCHORS, THREE OUTCOMES

PANTHER CREEK: A GROCER, THEN A PLAYGROUND

According to Community Impact's June 2026 report, the next big arrival is Lava Island, an indoor playground planned next to Sprouts at the same address. It offers tropical-themed slides, trampolines and party packages with themed rooms, and is expected to open in early 2027. The Regency Centers property page for Panther Creek lists Lava Island in a 37,202-square-foot unit. That would make it larger than the grocery store.

Lava Island fits next to tenants that have already been there for years. The Woodlands Children's Museum has been in Panther Creek for 15 years, as of 2025, and its executive director told Community Impact she believes the museum adds foot traffic for neighboring merchants. Regency's tenant list also includes Mathnasium, Karate of the Woodlands, Teacups & Tadpoles and Planet Fitness, plus a dining lineup of The Republic Grille, Brian of London, Crust Pizza Co., Sapporo Japanese Bistro Sushi, Los Cucos Mexican Cafe and Brooklyn Cafe. With a grocery store and a playground added, the center's mix includes more options for shopping, play and scheduled activities.

In 2025, Regency said Panther Creek's planned upgrades included new beams, paint and light fixtures. We found no reporting that confirms the work has been done.

STERLING RIDGE: A GYM WHERE THE KROGER WAS

Kroger left Sterling Ridge Village Center in April 2025. In March 2026, Community Impact reported that Crunch Fitness would take the space at 6700 Woodlands Parkway, Ste. 600. A state filing put the project at $1.5 million, and the opening was targeted for September or October. Crunch's location page now shows the gym open 24/7 with a daily class schedule. We could not find an exact opening date.

Crunch took about 35,800 square feet of the old Kroger. Regency's current leasing schedule still shows 30,729 square feet available. In October 2025, Sterling Ridge Village Association president Eric Fishhaut told Community Impact that "it would be great to have some sort of an entertainment venue to attract families." The remaining space has no announced tenant.

COCHRAN'S CROSSING: STILL WAITING

The former CVS at Cochran's Crossing, about 9,000 square feet, has been empty since April 2023. A Goodwill was under consideration in late 2025. In January 2026, Community Impact reported that Regency had terminated that lease and had no further prospects to share. Of the three, it is the only space with no new tenant named.

THE SAME PATTERN OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE CENTERS

The pattern extends beyond Regency's centers along Research Forest Drive and FM 1488. According to Community Impact's September roundup, La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe held its grand opening on August 19 at 7901 Research Forest Drive, Ste. 1700. That address is in The Plazas at Alden Bridge, across Research Forest from Alden Bridge Village Shopping Center. Across the street, Local Infusion, which offers IV infusion therapies, plans to open at 8000 Research Forest Drive, Ste. 350, in Alden Bridge Shopping Center. Community Impact reported on October 6 that the company is aiming to open by March. That is the kind of medical, service-based use Reynolds described.

On FM 1488, the same Community Impact roundup reports that Lobb's Padel opened at 3905 FM 1488, Ste. 120, with a soft opening on August 7 and a grand opening on September 19. Alongside the padel courts, it has a coffee shop, a bar, and a wellness area with cold plunges and an infrared sauna. Visit The Woodlands lists it in Dudley Sports Plaza.

East of I-45, the old Randalls at Grogan's Mill took a different route. A land swap between Montgomery County and Howard Hughes turned it into the Kevin Brady Library and Community Center. Eissler told Community Impact that this kind of public-private deal probably won't be repeated across many village centers. On the west side, the empty spaces are being filled by private tenants, one lease at a time.

WHAT'S NEXT ON THE CALENDAR

• Now: Sprouts at Panther Creek and Crunch Fitness at Sterling Ridge are both open.
• By March, per the company: Local Infusion at Alden Bridge Shopping Center.
• Early 2027: Lava Island at Panther Creek Village Center.
• No date announced: The remaining 30,729 square feet at Sterling Ridge and the former CVS at Cochran's Crossing.

Greene's warning in Community Impact's 2025 story still holds for the spaces at the bottom of that list. "The lack of activation of a [space] can kill a center," he said. As of October 2026, Sterling Ridge has filled more than half of its old Kroger, Panther Creek has filled its old Randalls and has a second large tenant on the way, and Cochran's Crossing has not announced a new tenant.

If you'd like to talk through how these changes affect your corner of the west side, Alejandra and the team at Mandala Realty Team follow these centers closely and are glad to share what they know. Let's Connect.