CloudHQ has proposed rebuilding the struggling BigHop Garden Mall Inzai in Greater Tokyo, shrinking its retail footprint to 13,345 square metres to make room for two data centres.

The Washington DC-based developer presented the plan, named Project Asahi, to the Inzai City Council on 29 September, seeking an exemption from local development restrictions near commuter rail stations.

Under the proposal, CloudHQ plans to reduce the 13-hectare property beside Inzai-Makinohara Station on the Hokuso Line into a smaller retail row facing the station, paired with a 6,235-square-metre public park and 8,450 square metres reserved for non-data centre commercial uses and offices. Revenue generated from the server facilities would fund the capital expenditure needed to overhaul the remaining shops.

BigHop opened in 2007 after construction by Takenaka Corporation, but the asset has suffered from stagnant tenant revenue and looming capital expenditure requirements. CloudHQ told city officials that the mall’s sales have stayed flat, trailing the 3.4 per cent growth recorded across comparable Kanto shopping centres in municipalities with fewer than 150,000 residents during 2025.

Rising expenses for labour, purchasing, and consumables have compressed retailer margins, removing room for rent increases. The developer noted that the mall’s existing rental income cannot cover major equipment renewals scheduled over the next five years. Soundings conducted in 2025 with Japanese trading houses, contractors, institutional asset managers, and foreign developers yielded zero interest in acquiring or backing the site as a standalone shopping destination.

Of the remaining land on the 13-hectare parcel, roughly half will host two data centres and electrical infrastructure, while the other half will be retained for future development.

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