Eastland Mall Redevelopment

[StevenRocks]

If Glimcher is serious about keeping this place open, even for a little while, they are going to upgrade its curb appeal. Nobody's going to want to shop there if it looks dead.

[xyhamiltonboi]

Biggest thing that isn't good for Eastland is the fact that Glimcher has sold off all of it's "non-core" assets except Eastland. It was about a year or so ago when they announced they were selling these assets. There's good news and theres bad.

GOOD NEWS:

Malls like Eastland exist all over the nation despite we know it only means the prospect of death is near annually at year end it atleast presents an alternative place to shop.

RALEIGH SPRINGS MALL - Tennessee

CENTURY PLAZA - Alabama

SOUTH DEKALB MALL - Georgia

WESTLAND MALL - Ohio

BAD NEWS

Simon Property Group and Richard E Jacobs Group had malls that they tried to sell that would eventually die before a transaction could take place. These properties could have been saved, but the lack of interest and the written off red headed stepchild approach only delayed good redevelopment.

LAKEHURST MALL - Richard E. Jacobs Group

CHARLES TOWNE SQUARE MALL - Charleston, SC <---Simon still owns this property.

LAST NOTE

I didn't know that Eastland Mall Cinemas was a III screen. Also can someone update the Wikipedia article on Eastland.

[mallguy]

Well thank goodness for that Sears anchor; Sears seems to stay on for long periods of time in otherwise dead malls.

I'd be curious for any more insights about Eastland's future. I know it's supposedly a priority of Charlotte-Mecklenburg government for redevelopment, that the mall was put up for sale and is losing money, but I can't figure out what Glimcher is doing with the mall.

If the mall were losing money and happened to be a definite redevelopment candidate, I'd think that Glimcher would stop doing maintenance, clear out the mall and shut it down in order to stem its losses until the mall is redeveloped. If Glimcher intended to keep operating the mall, I'd think the company would try to attract new tenants and would invest in upkeep.

However, Glimcher seems to be doing some of both options; the mall seems to be in dire physical condition and is kept up only minimally; even the signs at one of the back entrances have been taken down, leaving rust- and dirt-covered scars, and the paint continues to peel. However, Glimcher keeps letting new stores come to the mall- even national chains such as Foot Locker Kids and Rainbow Kids.

If anyone has any further insights, I'd be curious. Thanks.

[mallguy]

More closings: New York & Co. and the Hallmark store. The ice rink is still closed.

I think Dillard's will close this year, too, given the mall's downward spin recently. (Just my projection.)

[Raintree21]

The City Council gave the city manager permission to spend $75,000 to look into buying the old Belk property at the mall as part of the revitalization plan.

[StevenRocks]

The land under the old Belk, along with the old Harris Teeter, are key components in making Eastland work as whatever it becomes. Those two stores are what people see as they come to the property from Sharon Amity and their dead appearance doesn't help the mall's curb appeal.

[Weaver24]

How is Eastland Mall fairing now? I visited Charlotte last summer for a week (and really liked the city but I like visiting new places anyway) and we visited 2 malls...Eastland and Southpark. I loved Southpark and it has a few stores that probably wouldn't build a location in my area. Eastland was similiar to an urban mall near my area (except that mall up here doesn't have a vacant department store) and I could tell it was struggling like the mall in my area. How is it doing now?

[Raintree21]

Still horrible and stores are still running away as soon as their leases expire. I think Fred's was the latest (but they closed all of their Charlotte stores I think). If I recall correctly, the City Council approved the latest round of money to try and redevelop the property a month ago or so.

Edited June 18, 2008 by Raintree21

[mallguy]

I think that the Belk closing killed off most of that wing- even the Hallmark store and the Finish Line (maybe the first of the many athletic shoe stores in that mall to close) near the former Belk recently closed.

The other parts of the mall seem to be doing OK, although there are few national chains left. Even the After Hours tuxedo rental place (renamed into something else) closed.

The Dillard's outlet has been upgraded- it's really a great place for terrific deals.

[monsoon]

There is an article today that says Glimcher Realty Trust, the owner of Eastland, is planning to walk away from the mall because it is worth far less than the loan they have on the property. (somewhere around $42M) They had made, I guess what they thought was a good investment in the place in 1998 for $52M+.

-----------

If this happens, what does it mean for the city's plan to redevelop and revive East Charlotte? Is this the final nail in the coffin of what was Charlotte's premier shopping complex of just 25 years ago? Is it a lesson on what really bad urban planning can do to an area over time, and is it a lesson for what is being done now to develop Charlotte?

[MZT]

There's no reason to think of malls as temples that will last for centuries. If the mall is not economically viable anymore, then it's time to convert it to something else.

CMS seems to be always needing space for schools. I wonder if part of the mall could be converted to classrooms and we could get rid of some trailers in East Charlotte.

[Charlotteman]

I've been reading articles lately about the (future) plight of American suburbs.

From the 1950s until recently it was an American dream--becoming successful and moving to the suburbs. But these days it's in a reversal, and successful people are moving closer and closer to center cities. This is leaving the suburbs in a tenuous situation~

Isn't Eastland Mall a perfect example of this? I guess we would all agree Eastland is a Charlotte suburb, and for many years the area was a very desireable place to call home. But the local demographic has changed so much that poverty, and poverty's usual buddy crime, has crept into East Charlotte.

Jacksonville has a sprawling neighborhood on it's Westside that this has already happened to. (I forget the name of the specific neighborhood) From the 1960s to the 1990s the area was a quiet, charming suburb. Now it is a hell-hole of crack cocaine, rapes and burglaries...any decent, thinking person wouldn't be caught dead walking through. And it goes without saying that every nearby shopping venue has closed.

We all hope the Eastland area doesn't follow suit with Jacksonville's horrendous hell-hole suburban neighborhood. But is it inevitable for Eastand Mall and the Eastland area to suffer this fate? In my wildest dreams I never imagined the death of America's suburbs. What has happened to Eastland Mall sounds like the wave of the future to me.

[monsoon]

.....

Isn't Eastland Mall a perfect example of this? I guess we would all agree Eastland is a Charlotte suburb, and for many years the area was a very desireable place to call home. But the local demographic has changed so much that poverty, and poverty's usual buddy crime, has crept into East Charlotte.......

It depends upon one's definition of suburb. Technically, with few exceptions like North Charlotte (NoDa) all of Charlotte except downtown is a suburb. Dilworth was the first suburb, more or less, Myers Park was Charlotte's first exclusive suburb, and Eastover was Charlotte's first automobile only suburb. Eastover was the prototype for everything built here since.

More specifically however, Eastland was a huge investment in a monolithic single use property that took up a considerable amount of land. They then built residential areas around it. I am sure that 25 - 35 years ago nobody would have thought that it would have turned out like it did. I remember reading the Observer in the late 70s, and almost all of the real estate ads were for this part of Charlotte and they had lotteries and lines for people to buy places to live there.

[mallguy]

Two thoughts:

(1) It's not unheard of for owners of distressed malls to walk away from them; the mall will still be there, but just with a different owner- the mortgage lender.

(2) Sales per square foot in the low $200s isn't bad for a mall in Eastland's condition- much better than I would have thought for a mall with no A-class anchors. There IS demand for retail there- just not what it used to be.

(3) It's not just urban planning but population policies that have led to east Charlotte's problems.

[atlrvr]

Perhaps I have a soft spot for the mall/area since I spent much of my childhood frequenting it, but I really like the site.

If I led a large real estate development group with access to $1B+ in capital, this would be where I put my money in Charlotte. I would acquire the mall, and many of the surrounding apartment communities, as well as the businesses between Central and Albamarle Rd. I would put in place additional street networks (the area already is decent in this regard considering its suburban location).

I hate to ever refer to Atlantic Station as a prototype, but I'm imagining something of that scale (hopefully a little more authentic in execution). I believe the site could support mid- to high-rise office, condo, and apartments. The retail component would take a more limited roll, mostly focusing of neighborhood supportive retail, and some regional draws.

The streetcar would need to be completed to the area, with the schedule accelerated by TIF financing.

I know there is a lot of bad stigma attached to the area right now, but from an infrastructure standpoint it is one of the better redevelopment spots in Charlotte...in my opinion. However, I don't have much expectation of anything that grand in the next couple of development cycles.

[voyager12]

Among all the different plans piling up on each other I still favor converting the site into a gathering place tailored to the surrounding community. There could be a Hispanic community center with shows and festivals with an open air market. Along with restaurants and stores. Somewhat similar to the Asian Mall. Make it a hub for people to be proud of.

[monsoon]

.....

The streetcar would need to be completed to the area, with the schedule accelerated by TIF financing.....

I like your idea. The only think I would change would be to ditch the streetcar and build a full light rail line to Eastland. In order to cut costs, I would turn the route around Hawthorn and have it join with the planned SE line where it goes down Independence. Most likely they would run an combined route to downtown at that point. If they absolutely have to go with a streetcar they can then run it from JC Smith to Belmont. In fact there should be enough room on Albemaro Rd to maybe offer a couple of more stops on the LRT past Eastland.

[49er]

If there is going to be significant density added to this site I agree that streetcars just will not have the capacity needed to support the development. One element I would like to see would be the return of an ice skating rink somewhere on the property. That is the one aspect of Eastland I would miss.

[Charlotteman]

........ one element I would like to see would be the return of an ice skating rink somewhere on the property. That is the one aspect of Eastland I would miss.

I couldn't agree more. Back in the mall's days of greatness, part of the fun of going to Eastland was the fabulous ice skating rink. It would be a shame if an ice skating rink isn't included in any future redevelopment.

[Sabaidee]

Fixing Eastland Mall is more complexed than what it seems, Glimcher only owns a major portion of the mall, the four anchor locations are owned by those individual stores or former stores i.e. Sears and Belk. So there are five owners involved before any plans can be finalized. I think Dillard and Sears are the only major anchors left, but these two stores are nowhere near the flagship stores in Charlotte in service or selection, they don't even seem fully stocked and everything seems like a sales aisle. I still don't understand how the mall management allowed all those shoes stores to be anchored there, they all compete for same crowd, however if you're ever into urban footwear Eastland is the place.

Besides the apartment communties adding to the bad image of Eastland, there is a large amount of rental homes contributing to the problem. Hopefully the streetcar will encourage developers further along Central Ave than just the adjacent areas next to Plaza Midwood.

[tozmervo]

Maybe it would be appropriate for Eastland to begin modeling itself after the transformation that Eastgate Mall in Chattanooga has and is undertaking. The mall is slowly "disintegrating" into an urban grid with office space, a YMCA, retail, restaurants, etc.

Google Books has been kind enough to provide this content from Solving Sprawl.

[monsoon]

If the city really wanted to do the Knights ballpark right, they would locate it in the Eastland area instead of downtown, and run a LRT to it. Set it up so the average person could setup a small shop to sell stuff during the games. Would go a long way to rebuild the community over there, and make good transit available too. Make sure it could be expanded in the future. A tourist attraction like a big ferris wheel would go over well too.

[mshook]

It would be a cheap purchase of land and already layed out....but I could only imagine how "Thirsty Thursdays" would fare if the bright, shiny new park was put in the middle of today's East Charlotte. I'm fearful that most wouldn't take the LRT down to that area. Also, the price/time table of building an LRT there would be "in the bleachers". IMO downtown still proves to be the best location since this area was allocated as a "park" anyhow....

[StevenRocks]

Considering its blighted condition and less than desirable demographics (for leading retail companies, anyway) Eastland's future is not as a single-use complex. Mixing the uses to include offices, housing and entertainment, bringing in light rail service and making the general site more densely developed and attractive seems like the way to go.

[New Name]

Somewhat related is the reuse of Freedom Mall. I would assume most of you haven't been out there often. I drive by almost daily for work. There really isn't much to see I suppose. A few stores are actually open, but the whole corner at Freedom & Ashley is undergoing renovations anticipating the move of the county (is it permits and school board? I forget). Ultimately, the Freedom Mall area isn't much better off for this "upfitting," but it is use of an existing building, and freeing up space in Uptown for a more logical use. It was either that or tear it down.

I don't know what that's worth for Eastland Mall. Is there a monstrous government entity that you would like to see moved into Eastland Mall? My vote is to move the CATS bus yard there. That place can be a pretty unwelcoming gateway to my hood.

Edited June 25, 2008 by The Escapists