Interesting fact about Regency Mall... (Savannah, Grovetown: landscaping, tenant, marketplace)

[lem1985]

Originally Posted by cnd33

GAP closing in a mall is a big deal of Mobile, with a metro area over 400,000? Wow, I didn't know the city was struggling that much.

if you count Baldwin County into the metro area(CSA) it pulls it just over 600,000 but any store closing in Mobile is a big deal. A couple family dollars opened in Mobile and it was like the best thing that ever happened. Its a couple folks praying for upscale shopping(Macy's is considered upscale) and dining in Mobile but i have told them Mobile is not on a list of desirable places. Since Airbus is about done building the plant down there alot of people believe its a go to place for work/life in the south. Walmarts and shipbuilding and the Mobile County school system is the top jobs

[AUGnative]

I think the mall craze is kind of over anyway. Augusta Mall is very large and nice and adequate for a market the size of Augusta. Now people are more into the open air lifestyle centers and town center type developments than the big bulky enclosed shopping malls that were all the rage of the 70s and 80s. I just don't think you are going to see anothe big enclosed mall in the area like Augusta Mall.
As for Regency, I think location was the primary reason it closed. Not because it was on the Southside but because it was too far off the I520. It should have been built around I520 and Windsor Spring. At the time it was built in the late 70s Tobacco rd was pretty sparsely populated. That area was pretty much countryside back then. A large mall really needs to be near an interstate or freeway. I have heard that a big outlet mall may be coming to the Grovetown area. Any word of confirmation on that?

[River_Dawg]

I may be wrong but arent there future plans for Dean Bridge Road in relation to the Fall Line Freeway? Could the Regency get 2 bite at the apple? Malls are still popular with people. that may not be the case with developers because of cost. When its 30 degrees outside or 95 degree outside, you would want to go inside a control climate environment.

[AUGnative]

The Fall Line Freeway is not an actual freeway. They just widened existing highways with a median.. but you still have stop lights. The part in Augusta is pretty much already finished anyway. The gap is between Macon and Wrens.. They jave finshed most of the section between Augusta and wrens.. but I do not see this having a major impact on Regency. It's been completely gutted anyway. the building is now just a shell. Fewer and fewer malls are being built.. in fact I cannot think of any new enclosed shopping malls built in the last 5 years. the concept is passe'. Here is an interesting article on the subject.http://www.businessinsider.com/shopp...extinct-2014-1

[AUGnative]

I wonder rather have a thriving downtown than a mall anyway

[therealpattman]

Originally Posted by River_Dawg

I may be wrong but arent there future plans for Dean Bridge Road in relation to the Fall Line Freeway? Could the Regency get 2 bite at the apple? Malls are still popular with people. that may not be the case with developers because of cost. When its 30 degrees outside or 95 degree outside, you would want to go inside a control climate environment.

The Regency Mall area is dead sadly. No developer is going to touch that area especially with Columbia County exploding. At this point that area should serve as a large regional park, with plenty of greenspace.

[River_Dawg]

Developers dont think the cost is worth it to build, so i understand why none have been built lately. but if the Regency was to open up tommorow with decent tenants the parking lot would be jammed packed. Thats a fact. My theory is 2 enclosed malls are better than 1.... Outdoor lifestyle strip mall are ok but an enclosed mall is a better experience overall. As long as its still standing it can be a viable mall in the future. I dont think the community will allow the doors to close again.

[AUGnative]

That is the problem.. the only malls that are doing well are the more affluent ones with the more affluent stores. Augusta Mall is still not safe considering their main tenants are Macy's, JC penney's, Sears and Dillards. I guess you could say Dillards is the most ipscale anchor tenant but if you had two anchors like Sears and Penney's close together, then Augusta Mall would be in jeopardy. To survive Augusta Mall is going to need to attract more high end tenants and anchors. Otherwise its days may be numbered ling term. I see regency Mall being good as some type of vocational center or maybe office space, but it wont ever be a mall again for the same reasons it failed the first time. I am sure if Augusta Mall have it to do all over again they would have chosen a location off I20.. Say at Wheeler Rd o

[therealpattman]

Originally Posted by AUGnative

That is the problem.. the only malls that are doing well are the more affluent ones with the more affluent stores. Augusta Mall is still not safe considering their main tenants are Macy's, JC penney's, Sears and Dillards. I guess you could say Dillards is the most ipscale anchor tenant but if you had two anchors like Sears and Penney's close together, then Augusta Mall would be in jeopardy. To survive Augusta Mall is going to need to attract more high end tenants and anchors. Otherwise its days may be numbered ling term. I see regency Mall being good as some type of vocational center or maybe office space, but it wont ever be a mall again for the same reasons it failed the first time. I am sure if Augusta Mall have it to do all over again they would have chosen a location off I20.. Say at Wheeler Rd o

I get what you are saying. I believe as the urban area expands closer to McDuffie and Burke Counties a second mall could survive maybe at Tobacco Rd/Windsor Spring in South Augusta and or at Appling Harlem Rd and I-20 in deep west Columbia County say 15 years from now.

[AUGnative]

why a mall? It's an outdated concept. the trend is to open air lifestyle centers. There is a reason there has not been a larger enclose shopping mall built in the US since 2006