The Life and Death of a Strip Mall

[ironchapman]

Some of you out there will probably be interested in this article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It gives a bit of insight into the life cycle of a strip mall. The mall in question is the Belmont Hills development from the mid-1950's.

It's very interesting.

The Life and Death of a Strip Mall

Any thoughts? I certainly found it interesting. It makes me wonder what some of the strip malls going up just down the street from me will look like in a few years.

[StevenRocks]

Fascinating. Thanks for posting this.

[UrbanAtl]

May all strip malls die!

[ironchapman]

May all strip malls die!

I don'tknow if I'd go that far. I'm not a fan of building as many as developers are right now, but I do find some use in them.

[Hybrid0NE]

Jack Halpern, whose father Bernard bought Belmont Hills in 1967, wants to demolish the 487,000-square-foot shopping center and build 532 townhouses and condos, in addition to a lineup of retailers and restaurants on Atlanta and Windy Hill roads. On the back side of the 50-acre center, he wants to build a Wal-Mart Super Center.

I almost applauded until I read the last sentence, I guess you can't win them all. I'd be happy to anything new in that area. It's probably the ugliest stretch of road in all of Cobb County.

[DigitalSky]

Kinda reminds me of what happened with Westerley Hills in Charlotte.

[StevenRocks]

May all strip malls die!

Very mature.

Strip malls are important to the nation's economy and convenient for people to pick up their daily essentials. We need strip malls.

[bfermanich]

Cool article. I get kinda teary-eyed with excitement when I hear about all of the redevelopment going on. The Super Walmart isn't a good idea though. Yes they may be practical, but I can't see these things thriving 20-30 years down the road. I think this whole Super Walmart craze is just another trend in the world of shopping centers. Eventually the "all in one" format will be considered too "tacky" for your average consumer. Just as malls have seen their 15 minutes of fame pass by, so too will the super centers fade away. Granted I do shop at Super Walmart from time to time. I'm not bashing them. They're convenient as hell.

If Smyrna is looking for something long-term, it needs to stick with the townhomes and condos and drop the Walmart. Besides, the area immediately south of Windy Hill and Atlanta Road is quickly transitioning into more upscale. The Super Walmart may fit the neighborhood today, but not tomorrow.