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Richland Mall Redevelopment


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It looks like they heard your cries for help:

Big plans for Richland Mall...

North Carolina developers are buying Richland Mall and plan to transform it into a mix of upscale shops, restaurants, office space and residential condominiums with rooftop views.

The project, with a price tag of more than $300 million, would renew a retail mall that has been struggling in recent years and would help create a city center for Forest Acres.

While the project doesn

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here we go again lol :lol: I guess the shops they put in last november didn't work out?

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Somehow the previous owner only paid $16 million for the mall at the end of 02. I imagine that they are making a little bundle on the sale despite the limited success of the 'makeover'.

It has the potential to be a great town center and can transform the streetscape along that portion of Forest Dr.

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Sweet! This could be just what I've been talking about. From WIS...

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3079824&nav=0RaPXVbX

"A developer wants to revitalize the property. In addition to shopping, in a few years you might actually be able to live at the site. Peerless Development Group plans to turn the property into a residential village called a "Village Within a City" project. "

Forest Acres City Council just met about this afternoon. There's something on WIS right now about it...

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WIS says it will add 2 stories with condos and apartments. Restaurants will be on the ground floor (street level) too. It sounds like they want it to be a live/work situation. Existing businesses will stay put. Their graphic wasn't too impressive. It will take place in phases over the next 5-8 years.

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Anyone else see this news report?? They showed some designs -- good concept. This is exactly what I've been hoping they'd do!

Details I remember...

$300 million urban village redevelopment by the Peerless Group.

Done in phases over 5-8 years (business will remain open).

Developer going for a "Charleston feel" with street-front restaurants, more stores, condos, etc.

EDIT: I see they just updated the website story to include all the details. Guess they were holding off until after it aired.

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I like the fact that they are going to renovate the mall, but I do not like these live/work places. They just seem like a bad idea.

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I can see how you would be concerned. It hasn't been something that we've seen very much of in this area. Personally, I think it's a great and another indicator that "the new urbanism" is really taking root in Columbia.

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Interesting photo, it looks like the area on the north side of the mall complex. I kinda thought they get rid of the parking deck or minimize it for retail/housing and that's exactly what that image is projecting. I'm glad this is happening, Richland Mall is so dead inside, outside of rooftop cinemas, B&N and TGIF; there's no reason to visit. Good step forward, with a lot of work the Forest Acres area could become our Buckhead but a little better. :)

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I like that you said that. I have always compared Forest Acres and Buckhead. If things continue to fall the way they have, Columbia could go through an Atlanta type growth over the next 20 years. There is an awful lot going on right now.

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I find it almost ironic that the mall started out as an open mall, then they closed it up, and now they are going to open it up again.

I seriously hope that we do not see Atlanta-style growth here. What a horrible thought. Columbia is in a great position to take advantage of its small size (relative to Atlanta) and growth potential.

I hope that as the city grows, it will be smart growth and have planning for mass transit, and density. I'd like to see growth more along the lines of Charlotte. You can easily argue that Charlotte's growth is not much better than Atlanta's, but IMO it is doing more now to take care of the problems that Atlanta deals with everyday.

Columbia can and should follow Charlotte's lead in planning for the future. When the Columbia MSA reaches 1.5 million I hope that our first LRT is well established and expanding. At 4 million I hope that we have many functional fixed route mass transit lines, and many unique and dense urban neighborhoods.

Forest Acres has the potential to become the next South Park or Buckhead, and I rather like that comparison.

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I believe that Columbia will reach great growth (pop. and economy wise), but it won't be a copycat of our Charlotte and Atlanta neighbors. These two cities are very nice places, but I believe Columbia has its own plans to become a boomtown and doesn't need to follow other cities blue prints to do so.

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Its not that it will intentionally follow in their footsteps, but I believe it is already happening. Without better development controls we are destined to follow the same course as these larger cities.

I know the Town & Country plan is a start, but it doesn't seem to be effective enough. The sprawl in Northeast is almost unabated.

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