latter closing in 1998 and converting to a technology-focused office complex. The mall also had a gradual impact on West Oaks Mall, which drew a large customer base from Sugar Land and Fort Bend County since its 1984 opening, but still continued to draw customers from its trade area in Houston's Energy Corridor as well as the nearby Greater Katy area. On February 16, 1998, a tornado damaged the mall and the Sugar Land Aerodrome ice skating complex located south of the mall. The tornado hit the southwest corner of the Dillard's store and caused a support wall to collapse; part of the interior was damaged and 5-6 inches of water accumulated inside the store. The tornado also damaged an exterior wall at the JCPenney store, part of the roof, and the mall's sprinkler system, resulting in water damage to several specialty stores in the mall. No one was injured in the tornado, which was surprising given the President's Day shopping crowd present at the mall that day, although two patrons in the nearby ice skating complex sought medical attention on their own. In 2002, General Growth Properties, which had previously overtaken management responsibilities for the mall around 1999, acquired First Colony Mall outright from its original owners. 2006 expansion Over time, as the Sugar Land area grew both physically and economically, and Sharpstown began to lose more prominent national chains, First Colony Mall slowly began to add more upscale stores such as Williams Sonoma (which has since closed) and newer concepts including Hollister Co. to its specialty store lineup. In 2005, the mall's first anchor change occurred when Mervyn's announced it would close its First Colony location as the chain exited Houston entirely. At the same time, the mall underwent an expansion that added an open-air "lifestyle" wing in front of the main entrance, anchored by bookseller Barnes & Noble which relocated from an adjacent shopping center and a courtyard of restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory and Grimaldi's Pizzeria. The expansion resulted in the addition of several upscale stores as well as a minor re-merchandising of the mall's inline tenants, including a new Apple Store. Since the lifestyle wing was built on the front parking lot, parking garages were also built in front of the Dillard's and Foley's stores to alleviate parking problems created by the new addition, and traffic lights were also installed at the intersection of Town