When Alan Sims first moved to Cedar Hill to become its city manager, he made a change from a shopping-rich environment in Overland Park, Kan., to having to drive to North Dallas or Arlington find the equivalent near his new home.

“When we got here, my wife said, ‘Lord, where are you sending us?’” Sims said.

Now Sims and others have reason to celebrate after UptownVillage, a 725,000-square foot outdoor “lifestyle center,” officially opened its doors with several days’ worth of events that started March 12.

The complex, developed by MG Herring Group with financial backing from Prudential, is the largest of its kind south of the Trinity in several years. The development is anchored by Dillard’s, Barnes and Noble and Dick’s Sporting Goods, with space available for a fourth anchor.

About a third of the stores opened March 12, with more to open over the spring and summer, including Barnes and Noble (April) and Dick’s (summer).

City officials, Herring employees and a few hundred visitors attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony and balloon release March 12 and then were invited to do some shopping.

Lancaster resident and Country music artist Janie Fricke opened the proceedings by singing the National Anthem as the colors were presented by the Cedar Hill Police Department Honor Guard.

“This idea started with a look at J.C. Penney,” said Buddy Herring, chairman and CEO of MG Herring, referring to Cedar Hill’s standalone department store, which is one of the nation’s leaders in sales.

When he realized how lucrative J.C. Penney was, he also noticed a parcel of land reserved for some new homes courtesy of developer Tom Gaubert, land now home to UptownVillage.

At the same time, Dillard’s was also thinking about expanding in the area, Herring said, and soon a partnership was formed.

Herring’s son, Gar, president of the Herring Group, presided over the ceremony and introduced several speakers including his father, Sims, Cedar Hill Mayor Rob Franke and Uptown Village General Manager Norine Bowen.

Cedar Hill refers to itself as a “premier city,” Gar Herring said.

“I always wondered what being a premier city meant,” he said. “It really starts with premier people, and what they were looking for was a premier project.”

Bowen said UptownVillage features the “best roster of retailers in the Best Southwest and the best group of managers anywhere.”

Some of the stores open for business on the first day included Aéropostale, Finish Line, Great American Cookies, Hollister, Pink, Buckle and Coldwater Creek.

Other retailers either open now or coming soon include Bath and Body Works, Worx Salon, Victoria’s Secret and others.

Restaurants scheduled to open soon include la Madeleine, Patrizio, Italian Express, Razzoo’s and Maui Wowi.

Another restaurant, Matt’s Rancho Martinez, opened March 17.

The project was not without controversy. Crowds at city council meetings were roughly split between those in favor of and those opposed to the development while the city was in negotiations with Herring.

Most residents who opposed lived in neighborhoods near the site and were worried about the effects of construction and drainage on their quality of life.

Franke thanked the residents of nearby Bent Creek for their patience and said the city and residents were able to work together in addressing problems.

UptownVillage offered several days of activities in celebration of its opening, including live music at The Village Green — an outdoor meeting place with a raised stage — food tastings and children’s entertainment.

“I’ve been excited about today for quite a while,” Franke said. “When I first heard about the project from Tom Gaubert, my initial response was, ‘Yeah, right.’”