Malaga's new shopping hubs to serve thousands of homes in western expansion
Supermarkets, gyms and medical centres planned for Cortijo Merino and Distrito Zeta developments ·
Malaga’s retail landscape is set for a major expansion as developers launch two new commercial projects to serve the 4,600 homes currently under construction in the western reaches of the city.
Located next to the Intelhorce logistics area, the residential developments of Cortijo Merino and Distrito Zeta are processing plans for large-scale shopping centres. These hubs aim to provide essential services - ranging from supermarkets and cafés to medical facilities - for a growing population in what is becoming one of the city's most significant urban growth zones.
Among the commercial establishments claiming space there are Grupo Mas, which recently announced its merging with Maskom, a café, a pet shop, a fast food chain, possibly a gym or a medical facility.
The developers of the two housing complexes are currently processing two retail centre projects, near to Avenida de Ortega y Gasset, at the city council's urban planning department.
How many and what type of homes have the developers planned?
Cortijo Merino's private developers have planned 1,250 homes, of which 645 will be subsidised housing units. They will be built on land ceded by the city council.
One of the developers (Neinor) has started work on two developments of 168 homes each (Creative Homes Bulevar) and Nuovit has started another project of 165 flats (Bulevar 360) on a plot of 17,401 square metres. The latter includes a 11,450-square-metre shopping centre, to be built by Reina Marín next to a 13,770-square-metre park that is currently under construction.
According to SUR's sources, this large area will be divided into three buildings. The building in the middle will cover the largest surface area, with a ground floor plus a first floor. A gym brand and a medical company are both interested in opening there.
To the west of Cortijo Merino, the central government has planned 1,362 subsidised housing units on the land of Buenavista.
What companies are interested in the other commercial premises?
Grupo Mas has already called dibs on 2,000 square metres of the building to the west of the headqaurters. There, the company will open a supermarket, a San Tomás café and a Mökai pet shop.
The building to the east of the main building will house a fast food establishment, with a floor area of between 350 and 600 square metres. Reina Marín also plans to provide 220 surface parking spaces next to this shopping centre, with the possibility of increasing them underground.
Other commercial uses of the main building will be determined in the coming months. The aim is for procedures to be finalised in 2026. The city council has initially approved the necessary planning dossier.
Urbania is processing a commercial area to the north of Distrito Zera, next to the axis of Avenida de Ortega y Gasset and the roundabout that connects it with Avenida de Washington.
The plan is for the plot to be divided into two pieces, each taken up by "first-class" supermarket chains, which have not been revealed yet. One of them will have a surface area of 7,592 square metres (for a construction of 3,602 square metres) and the other will have 9,070 square metres (for a building of 4,304 square metres). Both will have car parks on the ground level.
The main unresolved issue is the widening of Avenida de Ortega y Gasset from the Intelhorce roundabout towards its junction with the outer ring road.
Although this is a regional road, the Andalusian regional government has been neglecting the project, forcing the city council to add it to the urban planning projects in the pipeline.
The developers of the residential complexes will contribute 50% of its financing.
