I think you would have a good showing of support at the Macon Mall for the first couple of years but unless you have enough clout to make some serious changes to an expansive area surrounding its current location; you would find your sales support declining rapidly just before your all important 5 year mark.
The actual location from a convenience stance for travelers on 75 & 475 is excellent at this location; however, after a few brief disturbances from the unwanted and non-purchasing cliental that surround the mall in droves even with a dramatic face lift to the mall, your all important vistors would tire quickly of what the locals already know - the rif raf that they would be forced to put up with and begin to look else where very soon after the "new" wore off.
This location sits in one of Macon's largest, poorest, and most dangerous sectors of town. You would have to give a face lift and make huge improvements in this triangular area from the southern 75 / 475 split all the way up to Vineville Avenue. The city of Macon itself is working hard to improve the area east of 75 but if and only if they can make drastic changes / improvements will you see these improvements spread across the interstate. Even then you are looking at a good 50 years before the general public will say wow look at what they've done.
Then again in 50 years Macon would need to start all over again. (If the improvements continue as the MID-GA cycle of RE generally does, 7-10 years of prosperity with quick down turns, sharp increases then devastating decreases.) It seems MID-GA and much of the south experiences this; forcing the owners of the properties into looking elsewhere for cheaper investments or raw land to explode into a mini-city of convenience.
Money and development is the least of what is needed. You have a much larger task at hand. You have got to change a community mind set.
As much as I would love to tell you otherwise, before yet another person, company, corporation or developer comes into Macon to make so called improvements, they need to know all of what they face. They need to be willing to work from the source of the issues and be perfect at changing these odds they face. They are going to be primarily responsible for gaining tough political correctness and make harsh judgements on people that have no where to go. They are going to be forced to make stringent building and development codes without allowing many things to be grandfathered in. They need to know that while the problems exist at its core, they also have separatist communities surrounding them and will fight the improvements tooth and nail because they can not and will not look beyond the tips of their noses.
There again though you have locals that get a false hope quickly, enjoying the improvments you show them and how good it could be. Then in stark contrast to everything you are trying to help them with, they over inflate their property values blocking further improvements.
Sorry to inform you of this but from one developer to another I give you the inside scoop and why I cut my dreams and asperations for a better Macon short. We left having just over 5300 acres tied together, willing to pay for the new roads, bridges and any neccessary infrastructure, plus some that just plain made good sense, going well above and beyond the call of duty, to deciding that the then heads of the community (primarily at fault) and the community as a whole really wasn't willing to improve itself (primarily becuase they wouldn't get involved).
Planned parks equaling 37% greenspace not including the planned golf courses, 1680 new homes, 38 dedicated highrise sites, 187 dedicated commerical sites, 2 new K-12 school systems, 1 downtown & 1 northside connector, a 3.5 mile tunnel under the river (to minimize disturbance to the then planned river walk), a true sports stadium, a new mall similar to the one you've discribed, studies showing allevation to traffic woes on 4 of the busiest and most congested hwy's, detailed profiles of companies wishing to relocate to a planned community such as this adding over 6000 new jobs and documentation to promise such at certain percentages of completion during construction. Our plan even correlated exceptionally well with GADOT's interstate expansion plans. All this was lost after 16 years of research & constant changes to plans to keep locals & government happy all because no decision to do what was best for the community could be made. After going before a vote the 5th and final time we decided to concede.
Proceed but proceed with caution my friend
Yes I'm afraid to say I still habor a good deal of hatred over the loss of my RE baby. Reluctantly I must say Macon is still an excellent place to make ahhh...whatever your heart desires happen.
Best of wishes to you and may the present climate be much friendlier than that of just 8 short years ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdub5
To All,
I happen to be in the Shopping Mall development business. I am from Georgia and know Macon pretty well.
My question to the locals is,
IF, the Macon Mall had a complete uplift with an open air Life Style component, several new restaurants, hotel for guests, and family activities where you do more than shop, would the locals come there?
Better yet, what do YOU the locals want?
Best,
Jdub
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Macon mall recovery
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