Macy's to Close at Highland Mall in March. (Austin, Center: low income, apartments)

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by ROY DUBOSE

yeppers but wasn't she a beauty when she was young?

I remember all the hype when it opened - I was working at Webb Junior High back then (a lot of our students would skip school and hang out in the mall most of the day).

[Unclemeat]

Dillards is still there, right? Once the last anchor store closes, the mall will die fairly quickly. Those big stores take up so much real estate that it's really hard to cover expenses if they are empty. I've seen malls get really creative, like leasing that space out to churches, etc, but it's only a bandaid.

When I moved here a year ago, I remember going past Highland and thinking it was a dead mall (not dying, but actually closed down). Then I was looking for a certain store and found a location there. Hesitantly called and to my surprise they were open. Pulled in the parking lot, confused by the cars. Went in, amazed to see actual stores and people shopping (or at least hanging out).

Malls are definitely a thing of the past. Shoppers prefer the convenience of strip malls or standalone stores over the "excessive" parking/walking involved in a mall. So many malls end up just being a place for troublemakers to hang out.

On the business side, large retailers like Macy's, Kohl's, JC Penny can get more space and flexibility with a standalone store. Small retailers can get better rent in strip malls.

[1mintjulep]

I think Dillard's closed. Weren't they also suing the mall, alleging that the owners had let it go downhill? Whatever happened with that?

[orbius]

The city just blew $5 mil on buying the Macy's location in the mail for ACC. Wonder how many more millions it will take to make the store acceptable for classrooms. Many more thats for sure, its all custom work.
Wonder what businesses, real estate owners, etc twisted arms to make the city believe this was a good way to spend our tax money? Seems like a bad idea to begin with and once the city has to bail out the rest of the mall to save their ACC 'campus' in the mall it will seem twice as bad.

[centralaustinite]

Dillard's is suing the owners of the mall and trying to get out their lease, they use the Highland Mall as a warehouse and clearance center.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by orbius

The city just blew $5 mil on buying the Macy's location in the mail for ACC. Wonder how many more millions it will take to make the store acceptable for classrooms. Many more thats for sure, its all custom work.
Wonder what businesses, real estate owners, etc twisted arms to make the city believe this was a good way to spend our tax money? Seems like a bad idea to begin with and once the city has to bail out the rest of the mall to save their ACC 'campus' in the mall it will seem twice as bad.

How was the CoA involved? It cost more than five million I am pretty sure. ACC has plenty of their own money.

No way is the city "bailing out" the mall. They are anxious as the neighbors to see the entire parcel redeveloped. Private money is what is missing!

[1mintjulep]

So is the Dillard's outlet the only "anchor store" left now?

[orbius]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

How was the CoA involved? It cost more than five million I am pretty sure. ACC has plenty of their own money.

No way is the city "bailing out" the mall. They are anxious as the neighbors to see the entire parcel redeveloped. Private money is what is missing!

ACC is funded with taxpayer money and is knee deep in city politics. ACC doesnt do things without the ok of city hall.

I simply dont believe that ACC couldnt have built something better suited to education for less money than its going to cost to buy a Macy's store in Highland mall and convert it to an educational campus.

Also it is a valid concern to wonder what will happen if the rest of the mall besides the ACC building goes derelict. I doubt it would be considered safe to have that one store functioning in a totally derelict and potentially unsafe vacant mall. The city could very well be on the hook for providing maintenance and security for the vacant mall.

Again I'm sure this thought makes some happy but its definitely not in the best interest of the taxpayers. Which should be the first consideration of the city and ACC.

This quote is amazing also, apparently ACC doesnt know exactly why they bought these buildings in the mall. At the time of purchase they kind of shrugged and said we kind of dont know what we'll do with it but we'll do something. Great use of taxpayer money buy something with no clear idea of the use. From Austin Business Journal:

ACC plans to renovate 223,000 square feet of former retail space, with the college considering multiple potential uses, including instructional space (particularly during planned renovations of current campuses), facilities for non-credit continuing education programs, administrative offices and a conference center.

Read more: Austin Community College buying Macy's space at Highland Mall | Austin Business Journal

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by 1mintjulep

So is the Dillard's outlet the only "anchor store" left now?

Yes, JC Penney's left years ago. The interesting thing is that according to the Statesman article today, someone is in the process of buying the Macy's parcel . . . but Macy's didn't name them. Said they would let the buyer "speak for themselves." I've also heard that someone was buying the JC Penney part.

Odd to have a mall split up in pieces, complete re-development would be better, but it would take tremendous investment, a master developer to create a conceptual plan, etc. Lots of costs involved and in the current environment, no one is providing financing.

Look at what happened at the Concordia site, walkable distance to UT!!

This may be the beginning of an interim phase, with complete re-development far off, maybe my future grandkids will talk about how cool the Highland section of Austin is!

[centralaustinite]

ACC bought the old Dillards at the mall, not Macy's. The buyer of Macy's is unknown. Like at Barton Hills, Dillards has two locations at Highland because 15 years or so they bought another department store and had to assume their leases. (what was the name of that store?) Anyway, they bought the Dillards that faces back towards I-35 and near their administrative building, One Highland Center. The ACC parcel includes 18 acres, mainly empty parking. I think that ACC does plan to build new on the site, they may use their ownership of part of the building just to have some say in the final redevelopment of the area.

I still don't see the CoA and ACC connection. ACC is an independent taxing unit with their own trustees etc.